A Place Beyond the Sun
by Renegadia23
Summary: Follow the tales of a group of people who became trapped in the simulated world known as Aincrad. Within, you will find action, romance, humor, adventure, love, and even betrayal. Original and alternate storyline. Original characters. No Asuna, no Kirito.
1. Chapter 1

**Author note:** This is my first fanfic so please be patient with any formatting problems and such. I will work them out as I go along. Also, I am currently accepting Original Character ideas to feature in my story. If you have a profile you would like to submit, just send it to me via PM message. Please include the following fields: Name, Gender, Height, Weight, Appearance (This includes clothing/armor), Personality, Short Bio, Weapon, Sword Skills, Stats, fun facts, likes & dislikes and any sort of pairing between characters that you would like to happen as this story develops. All of this is so that I can effectively portray your submitted character and follow through with what they wish. Thank you and enjoy! :D

**Chapter One: Link Established! Game on!**

I awoke to the sound of my alarm. It was Saturday morning and the day after the game, "Sword Art Online" went up for sale. My alarm clock read that it was 5:30 in the morning. The game didn't hit live until 6 o'clock. Ergo, I am awake this early. I stood up a stretched for a moment before walking over and flipping on the radio. My favorite song just so happened to be playing, so naturally I was jamming out for a bit. I walked into the bathroom and took care of my morning routine. I then walked downstairs and into the kitchen and got me a drink. While walking by the stove, I saw the time... It was 5:46... 14 minutes left. I went back up to my room and opened up my newly bought VR headgear. I once again turned to the alarm clock... 5 minutes left. I finished off my soda and laid back on my bed. I sent a text to my friend Nathan, "See you on the other side brosky." My alarm clock beep signaling that it was now 6 o'clock. I took a deep breath and put my headgear on. I pressed the button on the side and booted up the system. "Let's see how this ga- Ow!" I felt a pinch on the back of my neck. The manual warned me about it but I had forgotten already. It was the headgear linking to my nervous system that caused the pinch. Within moments I found myself on the character creation screen.

**5 minutes later...**

I finished the character creation, I was now a 6' 4" male with long, straight blonde hair and a heavy build. The world digitalized before me... I found myself in the Townsquare. There were a handful of other players in the square... But, that quickly changed within just a few minutes. There were now probably 200 people in the square. I opened my menu and looked at my message inbox... I was hoping to see a message from one of my friends, but there was none. I closed my inbox and opened my inventory... I had 2 health potions, 2 wet stones, and an accesory called, "The warrior's pendant." I opened it's info. It said that it raised all major-class skills by 10 points. It was worth 150 cor. I was also in possession of 50 cor. "Not a bad start... But let's go fight something and test the battle system..." I thought to myself. I quickly left the square behind and traveled into the fields surrounding the town. I encountered my first enemy, a boar. I took my spear of my back and positioned myself before whistling to gain it's attention. The boar turned toward me and snorted... After a few moments of it and I staring one another down into broke out into a run, lowering it's head so it's tusks were aiming straight for me. When it was within 10 feet I side-stepped and slashed at it's side... The one attack took out a quarter of it's health. I am sure that that was thanks to my pole-arm and strength skills being 2 of my 5 chosen major skills. The boar skidded to a stop and turned around before charging at me once again... This time, I took the hit on purpose to see just how much damage the boar could deal with a single strike. It only did took out an eighth of my health bar... So somewhere around 10 damage... I slammed the blunt end of my spear into the side of the boar's head. It staggered for a moment in a simulated daze before thrashing about, goring my leg with one of it's tusks. This attack did more damage then the charge surprisingly enough... But that reason why is because it caught the back of my leg, an un-armored part of my body. I was glad to know that the battle engine took such things into consideration when factoring damage. I stabbed at the boar, taking it's health down to zero. The boar shattered into a plethora of polygons and leaving behind a drop. I picked up my loot and inspected it... It was two tusks, a hide, and boar meat...  
A couple hours later...  
I had been fighting boar after boar. I was forced to use one of my potions because I had gotten blind-sided by a boar and took a critical hit. I was very close to dying, but luckily enough I was given two potions at the start of the game. I was now level two and I had given a player some tips in fighting, and I had even happened across a item called, "Rain Bangle." It was a bracelet with a aqua blue gem in it. It's sole-purpose to be used for fashion. I planned to sell it seeing as it was worth 230 cor. I sat down on the hill that I had just recently killed two boars on. On my HUD I recieved a message. I excitedly opened my inbox and saw that it was from my friend Nathan. I opened it expecting to see a meeting place... But I was mistaken. It was a message of panic saying that the log-out button was missing. I closed out my inbox and looked at my menu... He was right... There was no log-out selection. I sent him a message that said for him to meet me in front of the general store in the townsquare and maybe that it was a conditional thing that limits us to logging out only when we were in a town or safe-zone of some sort.

**Once in the Town...**

I saw my friend Nathan and yelled, "Yo! Nate!" He didn't look much different from the way that he did in the real world except for his eyes and his hair was longer. He turned to me and gave me a look of disbelief. He then yelled, "You kind of exaggerated your height a litt bit don't you think?" I smiled and said, "I am as tall as I feel in the real world." We both then started laughing. Nathan then said to me, "I already checked again... The log-out selection still is not there... Other players have noticed this as well." I opened my FAQ selection and read a few posts... Most of them being about the log-out option. Some bugging out because they had work... And one guy was talking about not being able to figure out how to put his pants back on. I showed Nathan this and he laughed. I then said, "I don't know... I'll send a message to Player Support and see what they say." As I did this I recieved a notification asking if I wanted to teleport to the town. I closed out the window seeing as though I was already here... Within moments dozens upon dozens of players were teleported into the townsquare. I turned to Nathan and asked, "What do you think is happening?" Nathan shrugged and pointed to the sky. I turned and saw what he was pointing at, in giant red letters it said, "URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT!" Within a minute the silouhette of a person came up. I looked around the townsquare... Everyone had their eyes on this man and waited for his words on bated breath. I looked back up and waited for the man to begin as well...


	2. Chapter 2: A New Life

**Chapter Two: A New Life**

****It has been a week since the devastating announcement that was delivered to us... We were now trapped here in this virtual simulation of a fantasy world. At first, I was terrified... Then, I was elated that this was my new life. But now, a mere 7 days later I found myself missing my old life and my friends. I have yet to find my friend Nathan again. We got split up when everyone began rushing around just moments after the announcement was made... People quickly began forming clans, guilds, and small groups so they could watch one another's back. We have already managed to reach the 3rd floor. But it was getting increasingly difficult the further into the game we delved. I may have made a mistake not partying up with other players, but none of that mattered now. I am still a prominent figure in the lead group. There have been reports based on me on the bulletin board... Just the other day there was a report of me defeating a frenzied boar with my bare hands using a sword skill. They even included a vague description... Luckily it was vague enough that most people only suspect it being about me. While being out in the wilderness I have been able to accumulate a lot of experience considering that I didn't have to share it with anyone else... I had also accumulated my own small fortune by keeping the col I found and selling the high value items as well.

I was walking down the road when I caught the sight of the next town. "_Well... Maybe I'll find something worthwhile here..._" I thought to myself. As I stepped into the safe zone I was warmly greeted by an NPC as if I wanted to buy a sundial. I laughed at the reference and continued walking in the town. This one was more alive than the other towns on the front lines that I had seen before. Then I saw why... Two people were in a argument. I walked up to the group and asked a bystander, "What is going on? What are they fighting over?" The player turned to me and said, "The smaller guy was apparently caught in the act of theft. And apparently he made the mistake of stealing from Elden... The leader of the Black Blades..." I walked to the front of the crowd and watched the scene unfold. Elden yelled, "If you weren't trying to steal from me, then what were you doing?!" The smaller man said in a light voice, "I... I... Was... Trying to get your attention..." Elden replied, "You're a thief and a liar! At least a real thief would admit to what he was doing! I challenge you to a duel, thief!" The smaller man was hesitant... Seeing someone in such a sour position tugged on my heart strings... I could see tears from under the hood of the cloak. I stepped out of the crowd and said to Elden, "This man was acting on my behalf! I told him that if he didn't steal from you that I was going to kill him as soon as he left this safezone." Elden's head whipped his head to me and back to the smaller man. He asked the man, "Is this true?" The man picked up his head and quickly said, "No it isn't!" As he did this his hood flipped off revealing that the thief was not a man at all... He was a girl... The girl eyes were pouring tears... She started to say something and I yelled at her, "Shut up liar! I am an honorable man in the least. I do not lie..." Elden then yelled, "If you were honorable you wouldn't of threatened this young girl's life! I challenge you instead!" Elden then opened his menu and cancelled the challenge he sent to the young girl and sent me one. Elden looked to be a experienced fighter, but when I looked into his eyes I could tell that he really did not want to fight me. I guess he realized that I am much larger than he is and began having second thoughts... I pressed the green circle on the message I just received from him, accepting the duel. The surrounding people backed up a little and the girl started to say something but I turned to her and gave her a look that I guess scared her because she backed up just like the rest of the crowd. A counter appeared on my HUD, starting from 60, it then began to count down. Elden took three steps back and opened his inventory... He began taking his battle stance as a sword materialized in his hand and a buckler shield on his opposite arm. I opened my menu and selected my beginner's spear. Elden's weaponry was not starter weaponry so seeing my beginning equipment, I will lull him into a false sense of superiority. The spear materialized and I took my stance... When Elden saw my weapon, a smirk replaced the look of regret that he had before.

The counter was almost all the way down and Elden said to me, "I hope you brought some potions... You are going to need them." I replied, "You may just be underestimating me." The counter reached zero and a beep sounded. Elden broke into a run, as anticipated he was hot headed and confident... He thrusted his sword at me and I side stepped, but only to get bashed by his shield. His attack only took a little bit of my health. But I guess he didn't notice because he still had that smirk on his face. He did a wide slash at me, which I blocked with my spear. He drew back his sword and attempted another strike... This one got stunted by my spear as well. I kicked at him and he covered up using the buckler. But my strength was at a high enough level that I still caused him to stumble backwards a couple feet. He tried to hit my with his shield but I caught the edge if it... Stopping him in mid-swing. He swiped at me with his sword again, this one finding it's mark on my side... I released my grip on his shield and threw a right cross using my now free hand... He staggered backwards, but he still retained his smirk... At least for a few seconds he kept his smile. I guess he took notice of our two health levels. I had gotten hit with his shield and I got cut by his sword... But I had only lost a sixteenth of health. His however, was down to two-thirds already... Just from a punch. I could see the epiphany occur just by the change in his attitude... The smile dropped, his guard tightened and he had a look of fear on his face. I put my spear away and said to him, "Don't worry... I am not going to kill you." I opened my menu and forfeited the duel, declaring Elden as the winner. The look on his face was priceless... He was dumbfounded. He then said, "You... You're the guy the bulletin message was talking about. The one about the frenzied boar getting beaten by some using only his hands." The crowd tore into whispers. I grabbed the young girl by the hand and left the scene abruptly. We turned the corner and went into a nearby tavern... I then let go of her and turned around to face her. She was staring at me... I said, "Hey... You need to be careful out there. Now that we're trapped here... If you die in here you die in real life, got it? And for what? A few col?" The girl snapped out of her trance and looked away... She then said under her breath, "Thank you... It was just that I am hungry." I was startled at this statement... I then asked, "Why didn't you just go out and loot some boar for the col?" She then went into a story, "Well... The reason why I am on this floor is because I was with my friend, James... He and I along with a few others challenged the floor boss..." I stopped her and said, "Stop... I know what you are about to say. Please don't, I understand what happened already." I looked around and said, "You said that you're hungry? Come on. Let me buy you something to eat." The girl then said, "No! You have already done enough... I can handle myself..." I replied, "I could have swore you said that you were hungry..." She looked down and said, "I did but..." I cut her off and said, "Then it's settled! Where would you like to sit?"


	3. Chapter 3: My First Friend

**Author Note:** Hello, Renegadia again. I am still accepting OC profiles to include in my stories. Also, if you liked this story and would like to continue to read stories by me. Go ahead and subscribe. I will be posting a chapter every two or three days. And if you don't like them, go down and leave a comment please! :D It would be greatly appreciated and it can help me grow as a writer to appeal to the masses. No one besides my friends have read my stories so I have only got biased opinions before. Thanks!

**Chapter Three: My First Friend.**

****The young girl chose a window seat and sat down, I on the opposite side. I said to her, "Well... Let's get the formalities out of the way. My name is Kade Ueda. Nice to meet you?" She looked out the window and said, "You can call me Rose... Or thief... It seems as though that has became a common term for someone who is trying to survive..." I asked, "Why don't you go back to the first floor? You don't have to be on the frontlines you know? You could just use a warp crystal." She looked at me and said, "But I want to help... I need to get out of this place as soon as I can. My sister in the real world needs me..." I sighed and said, "I understand what you mean... But you aren't any good if you are dead." Astrid the waitress set down drinks for us and I said, "Umm... Can you get this young girl some of the best food you have and as much as she wants? Don't worry about the bill. I'll take care of it." Astrid smiled and said, "Sure... Where did you find this one Kade?" I returned the smile and said, "She is a friend of mine from the first floor." Astrid left to go and cook some food for Rose. Rose was watching out the window deep in thought, I could see a tear in her eye. I leaned forward and said, "Hey... I am sorry to hear about you sister on the outside... But while we are in here we may as well make the best of it right?" She looked at me and frowned before saying, "You don't know where I am coming from... Don't pretend that you know me." She then returned her gaze to the outside. She was wrong, my mother was all alone on the outside world. She was sickly and unable to work. I was the only source of income that she had... But I did not tell Rose this.

Astrid returned with the food and I handed her my pouch of cor... Astrid was an honest person and I knew that she would only take out what the bill required. I then said, "Take out 20 for yourself... And if you don't mind, can you prepare a room for my friend as well... She will be staying here tonight." Rose started to object to this but I was quick to hush her. Astrid gave me a smile before she said, "Thank you Kade... But a friend of yours is a friend of mine. Her room will be free for the night." I thanked her and said, "Take 40 out for yourself then Astrid. Thank you." Astrid smiled and walked away. When I turned back to Rose she had already dug in and was eating to her hearts content. I smiled and said, "You really weren't kidding... You're starving."

In 10 minutes she had scarfed all of her food down. She resumed conversation after taking a sip of her drink, she asked, "So you know that lady?" I turned to Astrid who was tending to some other players and said, "Yeah. That is Astrid... One day she had a handful of PKers that attacked her group. They slayed her team and then turned to her... Luckily for her, I just happened to have crested a hill to see what was happening. Her and I injured their group enough to make them run away... However, I had suffered a large amount of damage because most of them focused on me... Luckily she had a crystal and healed me. Had a boar hit me once, I probably would have died. That was about five days ago... She chose to stay in this town because she didn't want to encounter anymore deaths while spending her time here in SAO... I frequent here and I always will..." Rose sat and listened to my story before sighing and saying, "Can I ask you a question?" I leaned back and said, "Sure. Shoot..." She looked out the window and mumbled... I asked her, "What was that? I couldn't hear you." She spoke up this time, "Would you mind if I tagged along for a while? Like if we partied up or something. You seem to be a very strong player and right now... I am not exactly able to handle myself. But I refuse to leave the front lines. If you do not want to... I understand. However, if you choose not to. I will still fight on the front lines no matter the danger involved." I pondered for a moment before saying, "Then there is only one choice... You can party up with me... I want you to know that it will not be easy. But honestly, if you follow me you will be facing some very powerful enemies. You will level up quickly... That is if you don't die in the process." I could see a little bit of fear cross her face... I was trying to change her mind and make her reason herself into going to the first floor. But this did not work... "Alright... I'm up for a challenge." I sighed and said, "Damn... You are certain about this aren't you?"


	4. Chapter 4: Behind These Hazel Eyes

**Author's Note: This chapter is narrated through the eyes and perspective of Rose. Please review! Thanks!**

**Chapter Four: Behind These Hazel Eyes.**

Kade and I continued to talk for a little while before agreeing to retire for the evening. Astrid, Kade's friend, was kind enough to show me to my room. We walked up a fight of stairs and down a hall. She stopped at a large walnut door and unlocked it. Astrid then said to me, "This is your room. Goodnight."  
I thanked her and said, "Goodnight to you two Astrid. And thanks for everything the food was delicious."

Astrid then walked down the hall and down the stairs. I turned the knob on the heavy walkbut door and opened it revealing the room within. The moonlight poured in through the window, a large bed, big enough to easily fit three of me. Besides the bed, a nightstand with a candle on it. The flame flickering casting dim light throughout the room. Against the right wall was a dresser with a large mirror on top of it. I walked inside and closed the door behind me... Once inside I sat down on the foot of the bed and opened my menu. Upon doing so I got into my sleeping suit, which just so happened to be my underwear, I hadn't had the chance to buy some undergarments since I got trapped here in this world. I laid back in the bed and thought back on the days events... Why is it that Kade went completely out of his way to protect me, feed me, and shelter me? All he knew about me was that I was trying to steal... Soon after thinking about it I fell asleep...

I awoke the next morning to the sound of the bustling town outside. I looked to the sun, it was only about a quarter of the way across the sky. So it was about 9 in the morning... I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Their came a knocking on the door, a seconds pause, and then the door swung open. Standing in the doorway was Kade, a look of surprise set on his face. I stared at him for a moment before I realized why it was he was surprised... I was still in my underwear!

I covered myself and shrieked, "Kade! Get out!"

He shook his head and stepped backwards closing the door while saying, "Sorry! I didn't know you slept in your underwear!"

I stood up and quickly got dressed... After a minute of prinning I opened my bedroom door and peered outside. Kade was leaning against the wall beside my door with his head tilted back. He looked at me from the corner of his eye and said, "You ready to go?"

I nodded and said shyly, "Yeah... Where are we going?"

Kade started walking down the hall and said, "First... I need to run a quick errand regarding what we are going to be doing..."

I quietly followed behind him...

We were walking down the streets of the town, while he and I were walking I could see people shooting glances at Kade and whispering to one another. I asked Kade, "Why are all these people staring at you?"

Kade looked down and said, "Someone filed a report on mine and Elden's battle... Apparently I am a local hero now... Quite troublesome if you ask me..." He and I continued walking down the street until we reached a somewhat large building.

"Stay out here for now. I'll be right back... I've gotta go get some information on where we are going..." He then headed into the building. Hitting his head on the rather small door as he entered. I, on the other hand, sat down on a nearby bench to wait. The smell of freshly made bread clung in the air, I could hear the sound of players speaking with each other, NPC shopkeeps trying to catch their attention and many more things. I turned to my right and looked at the building Kade went into, that is when I realized that the house was oddly proportioned. The door was somewhat small and so were the windows... I thought nothing more of it and turned my head to the left. Standing there were two players, one a young man and one a girl. The boy nodded to the girl and approached me. He said, "Umm... Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Umm... Alright. I guess that you can. Doesn't mean that I'll have an answer though." I said.

"That man that you were walking with, was that the man that fought Elden, the second-in-command of the Black Blades?" said the boy.

I smiled and nodded as he continued, "What is his name? What is his level?"

I turned back to the house to see if Kade was finished with whatever business he was doing, however, he was not. I turned back to the player and said, "His name is Kade... And I don't know what level he is. Why do you ask?"  
The kid's face lit up with happiness as I told him Kade's name, he then said, "Elden wanted to know his name and is willing to pay a sizeable amount regarding who he is. Thank you!"

I instantly regretted my decision of giving Kade's name out. I tried to stop the kid, but he quickly ran off with the young girl as well... I turned to the building Kade had entered just in time to see the front door open. Outstepped Kade with a smaller man right behind him... Kade looked somewhat irritated as he walked up he said, "Let's get going..."

I looked from him to the other man and asked, "Who is that?"

Kade took a deep breath, "This is Makey... He is an information broker. He is the one I that I was speaking of when I said that I had to get some intel on where we were going... His price for the intel... He gets to tag-along and he gets 10% of the loot that we collect..."

I looked at Makey and said, "Hi. My name is Rose." Makey was about 4 and a half feet tall and had raggedy brown hair... The oddest thing though... He carried a rather large sword on his back... The tip of it occasionally scraped the ground.

Kade turned to me and said, "Last night while you were asleep I looked into a story. In the end, I recieved a quest from an NPC that requires that we go North until we find a cavern. We will know that it is the right one because there will be creatures guarding it called Burn Newts. Inside his families sword was taken by bandits from his house... There camp was in the cavern... Or at least it was until mamma moved in. Rumor has it there is a Level 16 creature inside called a Fire Salamander... We go in, kill it, loot it's dead body, find the sword, and get out. Upon exiting, we will pay Makey his ten percent and then we will go our seperate ways. Understood?"

I and Makey nodded in unison. Kade was rather... Straightforward, When explaining things, he left literally no room for questions. He answered every single question that I had formed in my mind without me even asking. Kade nodded back and began walking away towards the main road that would lead us North, out of town.

While we walked I struck up a conversation with Makey. "So you are what they call an information broker?"

Makey shook his head, "No... I am much more than that. I offer dozens of services, the only thing excluded is PKing. I refuse to assassinate another player. As for everything else, there is a price."  
"You say everything, huh? Well... If I were to higher you to go against a floor boss alone. What would your price be?" I asked. I was really just trying to make conversation. Kade didn't seem like he was in a talking mood.

Makey said, "My price for that... You would have to accompany me and a cost of 50,000 to 250,000 col... It all depends on what the floor boss is like."

I then asked, "So why do you do so many odd jobs?"

Makey explained, "To be completely honest... I like this world. This world is much more exciting then the real world. If I could I would stay here forever. So... While I am here, I plan to live in the lap of luxury. Everyone will pay a bit extra to make the workload easier. Here in this world, I could live forever. And everything is much easier here... After a mere week I own my own house. Most people take years and years before they own their own in the real world."

I walked and listened to Makey... This guy was an economical mastermind. When on an adventure, he gains his own share of loot, plus a percentage of everyone elses... It isn't surprising that he owns his own house. It was possible to complete three quests on an average day. On an exceptional one, maybe 4 or 5... He really knew his market well. I asked, "So that was your house earlier?"

Makey took a bite of a banana... Where he got the banana I have no idea. Either way, he took a bite and said, "Yeah... It's kind of small. But it is custom-made and it is somewhat homely. After I finish building it... I am going to sell it so that I can then take that money and buy a better house."

After he finished his banana I asked, "Why not keep that house? It seems like it is good enough."

Makey chuckled a bit and said, "I have my reasons Rose."


	5. Chapter 5: Makey the Mercenary

**Author's Note: This chapter is narrated through the eyes of Makey. Please Review! Thanks! :D**

**Chapter Five: Makey the Mercenary.**

****I had made a deal with the brute, Kade... I had originally asked for 25%, but he said that that was an unreal figure considering that I would be tagging along making my own paycheck as we went. So, I settled for 10%, he didn't want to give me any... But that would be most inefficient for me. If I wanted to make chump-change I would do that myself. We had been walking for a couple hours now and the girl, Rose, she wouldn't stop trying to talk to me... I think she liked me! No!... She wanted my money! I hurried the thought out of my head and said to Kade, "The cavern is supposedly just up ahead. At least that is what my sources said..."

After a few more minutes we encountered the first bunch of Burn Newts. They were kind of cute... Except for the whole, "Spouting fire out of their face" part... They were each about the size of a medium sized dog. They had a bright red streak that ran straight down their backs... Luckily for us, they were only level 3. I turned to Kade to see that he already had his spear out and was ready. Rose on the other hand, was standing still as if she was afraid to move. I yelled at her, "Hey! Get ready chick! They may be weak but they will be a fight for you." I drew my sword just as the first newt advanced.

The newt tried to latch onto my leg, but I quickly moved my leg out of the way and kicked it away with my other leg. Surprisingly enough, I only took out an eighth of it's health. I then felt a burning sensation... When I looked down, I saw that the shin of my pants had been seared. I then looked up to see that my health had dropped by just a bit. I told Kade, "Don't go punching the shit out of these things like you did Elden... You regret it if you do." I slashed at a nearby newt taking it down to half health. With another swipe the newt shattered into pieces. It almost brought a tear to my eye to kill such a cute creature... But, my despair was soon wiped away when I saw the newts drop. I hastily grabbed it, but as I did I got bit on my lead leg by another newt. I went to swipe at it, but the stripe started glowing an even brighter red. Without any notice, the salamander exploded! It did quite a bit of damage, bringing me down to the yellow. Such a weak creature was able to do that much damage! I cursed myself for going for the loot before the creature was killed. Rose was quick to be at my side, she held out her hand, in it was a potion. I took it a drank from it hastily before continuing fighting.

Soon after the fight was finished, we reaped our rewards. It was a silent agreement that we got the loot from the creature we killed. I handed them a pouch to place the col they collected from this excursion in. Upon us exiting the cavern they were to present the pouch back to me, taking out their 90% and leaving me my 10%. We continued walking until we came to what looked like a small lake. And at the East side was a waterfall... This was the place. The report said that the cavern was behind the waterfall. I pointed to the waterfall and told Kade, "There it is..."

Kade said to me, "Now once we go inside... I have 4 light crystals. That gives us a total of 20 minutes to reach the salamander and find the sword. After defeating the salamander and getting the sword we warp back to town. Understood?"

I waited for a moment, then asked, "What are you getting in return for getting this sword? Money? Because if you do, I think I should get part of that as well." Kade shot me a cold look... Apparently he believed that I shouldn't get a part of the quest-related payout. This guy was a stick-in-the-mud who didn't know anything but how to fight... I stood up and said, "Well, let's go in their and earn me some col!"

**Five Minutes Later...**

****When we first entered the cavern we encountered some more fire newts. I made it a priority to avoid their mouths this time around. I collected probably about 70 col from 3 newts... And Kade killed 5 and Rose 1. So, that was a rounded additional 14... At this rate, I would make quite a bit of bank from this. Depending on how deep this cavern was that is. We delved deeper and deeper... We got quite a surprise from a creature not mentioned by my sources. A Lava Chameleon... We entered a room where they almost went unseen. That is until one of them lashed out at me... It's tongue was met with my trusty hand and a half. The fight was quick and there wasn't much to it... In total, I earned probably about 200 col... I couldn't help but smile as I collected my loot. We ventured through the cavern further, Kade's observation was par at best. He walked right past a chest that was hidden under some debris of fallen rocks. I uncovered it and kicked it open... Inside was 550 col and a one-handed sword called, "Pheonix Talon." It was worth 800 col... I planned on selling it as soon as I got back to town.

We had finally reached what we guessed to be the "bandit's camp" on the ceiling of the cavern were a bunch of Fire Newts that dimly lit the room. In the far corner there was a small opening that had the light of day pouring through it. Moss was hanging from the walls, the air was stale and ridden with a hint of blood. There were dead bodies littering the camp and I was quick to search the bodies... As was Kade... I hadn't taken him for being the dead-body-looting type... Either way, as long as it went into my pouch I was fine with it.

I caught the sight of a rather intriguing glowing red orb on top of a platform. There was even a convenient walkway that lead to it. Had it not been for Kade... I may had just gotten myself in quite a bit of trouble. As I went to go step onto a small ledge that led to the platform Kade grabbed my shoulder and whispered, "You may not want to do that..." He lowered the light crystal to the ledge that I was about to step on... The ledge looked... Scaly... It was the tail of the Fire Salamander! This thing was huge! It had to be about 80 feet long and about 20 feet wide. I reached to my back and drew my sword... I was about to experience the best battle I had since I began playing SAO... And I was about to do it with two nearly complete strangers. Excitement racked through my body and my grip on the hilt of my sword tightened... I was ready.

**PS- I apologize Nemuri. Your character will be featured in the next chapter. I promise!**

**PSS- and thank you to those who are reading this. If you like this story so far, I recommend you favorite it. I will be writing a chapter every other day at the least. And once again, review please! Thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6: A Fiery Savior

**Author's Note: In this chapter we are returning to the perspective of Kade. Please Review to help me grow as a writer! Thank you!**

**Chapter Five: A Fiery Savior.**

I had stopped Makey from making the mistake of waking the Fire Salamander... The light from the far side had just barely given me enough light to see the massive figure. I waved Rose over, once she got to me, I began to go over our tactics...

I whispered in a low voice, "Makey... You told me while we were speaking that you could deal a lot of damage in one strike... I hope you weren't lying... So, you are going to be the one to deliver the first strike. Rose will then enter and block you from any counter-attacks." I looked to Rose to see a rather surprised look on her face that I would give her such a task. Makey had a questionable look on his face, I would imagine that he was wondering why I was getting her involved... Especially giving her the task as Blocker considering her strength was rather low. I continued, "Rose... You are going to have to be there to block anything that comes at Makey. His attack will leave him vulnerable for a critical and if he gets hit by that Fire Salamander, it could total him out and kill him in one hit. So I need you to be there. After that, I will follow-up for the stun. Upon recovering Makey I want you to switch with me until you feel the time is right. We will stagger the switches so that not one of us will be fighting non-stop for more than 10 seconds. Alright? You two understand?" Makey nodded his head... Rose on the other hand gave a slight smile.

I got positioned, standing to the left side of the beast. Makey at the front and Rose right behind him. I then raised my hand, the signal that we had discussed. I then dropped my hand swiftly to signal him to start the attack. Makey leaped into the air and his sword glowed a blood red, he then yelled, "Strike Asunder!" The shout must have startled the Fire Salamander because it flinched a bit. Makey's sword smashed into the snout of the Fire Salamander... He left a slash the size of me on it's nose.

The Salamander roared and then things really started to heat up... Literally... In between the scales on it's body a yellow-orange light glowed. It made it look as though it was magma... I am sure that this was just an illusion though. And at certain points of it's body flames leaped out occasionally/ The Fire Salamander opened it's mouth to attack Makey... It was using a Fire-attack! That would definitely kill Makey in one hit if it hit him! I yelled to Rose, "Block it!" I had given her an elemental crystal that could shield them from a fire-based attack.

Rose didn't make a move... She was going to choke! I yelled to her, "Rose snap out of it!" But it was too late, the Fire Salamander was about to unleash it's fire breath and kill Makey... But for a moment, something blocked the light from the far side of the room. Out of my peripherals it looked like a woman. But as I turned to look, she was gone. Then from the left I heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed. Then the sound of a clash... I whipped my head around... Whatever happend, stopped the Salamander's attack, saving Makey. The Salamander's head was recoiling from a rather powerful strike... I then saw what it was that did it. At first I thought it was Rose, but no... Rose was standing there... Her eyes wide in shock.

There, maybe 10 feet above the salamanders head was a girl with long purple hair... She held a black sword in her hand and as she turned from delivering her strike I saw a glint in her eyes, a red glint at that. As if fire itself sat behind them... I snapped out of my daze and activated my sword skill, 'sandbag beat' I then delivered a succession of heavy blows to the right side of the salamander, sliding it slightly as my strikes landed. I then yelled, "Switch!" Instead of Makey switching in, the girl with the purple hair was in front of me, as she blew past I caught a faint smell of flowers... I turned to see that Makey was still a bit awe-struck at what had just happened. As I staggered backwards to get out of the girl's way she activated her own sword skill, her sword glowing with a white light. She then unleashed hell on the creatures side, I am almost certain that I missed a few strikes... But I counted a total of 14. Makey apparently had come to his senses because as the girl yelled switch, Makey leaped in with his trusty hand and a half.

As Makey let out all of his pint-sized anger the girl stood poised to jump back in. As Makey finished he yelled again, "Switch!" I went to jump in but as I did, the stunning effect of my sandbag beat plus Makey's attack wore-off. The salamander swung it gargantuan tail at me. I barely had enough time to put up my guard. It's tail slammed into me causing me to slam into the ground and tumble for what seemed like a hundred feet. My vision grew blurry and I could barely make out the shouts of Makey and Rose. As I stood up I noticed that I was down to a quarter health... But how?! I only got struck once! It then dawned on me, the Fire Salamander must have the same effect as the Burn Newts had. My first attack sandbag beat had caused damage to myself... I looked at my hands, sure enough they were burnt. I had realized because of the entrance of that girl...

When I looked back up, I was met with a very unhappy sight... Rose had tried to intervene to distract the salamander, but only to get knocked away. Her health was down to maybe a tenth at best. I then noticed that a Burn Newt was making it's way to her... I broke out into a run, ignoring the calls of warning from Makey until it was too late... The Fire Salamander had used it's fire attack... And the ball of flame was heading straight for me. At just a quarter of health, I am sure I was going to get PK'ed. At the last moment I drew my spear back and let it fly at the Burn Newt, saving Rose. I covered up in my best attempt to block fire... Hah! Like I could block fire... But at the last moment someone had jumped in front of me and blocked me from getting hit. The person blew back towards me, I caught them and went soaring backwards slamming into the wall this time instead of the ground... My vision was blurry again and judging from the size of the person I thought it was Makey... My health was down to a sliver now. If I sneezed wrong I would die... I lazily opened my inventory and got out my Purple Healing Crystal and broke it. Healing me and Makey back to half-health. I looked back up to the Fire Salamander to see the killing blow being delivered... By Makey? Makey thrusted his sword into the top of the Salamander's head, the salamander thrashed about for a moment, Makey holding on for dear life until it laid still and shattered into thousands of polygons. I looked down at who I had previously thought was Makey to see the purple-haired girl... She was the one who saved me? She didn't even know me? I thought that I was the only person that would do such a thing...

After a moment of sitting there, the girl opened her eyes to see me looking down at her. She screamed, "What the hell are you a perv?!" I then got a well placed smack across my right cheek... Luckily I had used my crystal to heal us... Otherwise I would be dead right now... I chuckled a bit and said, "No, not at all..." She shot up and continued, "Now what are you three beginners doing here?! The recommended level is four level 5's... Not a level 3, 4, and 5... You guys could have been killed!" I thought about it for a moment... I hadn't thought to check the rec. level... I just thought about the sword... The sword!

I stood up and said, "Now time to find the sword!"

The scoffed at me and said, "You sir are an idiot! Of course you don't lunge at a fire salamander after it comes out of a stun! What's it going to do?! Let you attack it? No, it is going to thrash about..."

Rose yelled in a shrill voice, "Found it!"

The girl rolled her eyes because she realized that he words were falling on deaf ears. I walked up and said, "Thank you for saving us either way. My name is Kade, what's yours?"

She yelled at Rose, "And what the hell were you doing?!" She whipped her head to me and said, "Sam... Sam Kisaragi... 10th in the Lead Group."


	7. Chapter 7: The Spirit of Fire, Pt 1

**Author's Note: This Chapter is going to be narrated through the lips of Samantha Kisaragi. Still accepting more Original Characters to feature in my stories. Please review! Thanks!**

**Chapter Seven: The Spirit of Fire, Pt. 1**

It had been a couple weeks since I had helped out those people with that fire salamander... The community managed to reach the Third floor already... But the thought of that day couldn't stop bugging me. and to tell the truth, I don't know why I did what I did... I just reacted on impulse ya know. Either way... Kade had sent me a message with his I.D. saying that if I wanted to add him as a friend, go ahead and maybe he and I could do some quests sometime. My guess was that this was a form of an in-game pick-up line... Oh how I hated attention... And what's worse, the shorter one, Makey was his name I think. He kept messaging asking if I wanted to go get a bite to eat, if I wanted to go into a dungeon with him, and all this other stuff. He is actually starting to irritate me.

Someone had publicly updated the map revealing where the floor boss' lair was... I had received a message with a time and place asking me to join in a meeting to strategize a means to approach the floor boss. I opened my map to lead me to the meeting area... Upon reaching said area, I found a oldish-looking building. I closed my menu and said to myself, "Well... This is it..."

The building looked run-down and I thought to myself, "_Why would they meet here?"_ I pushed the large oak doors open and saw many people inside situated around a table. Some turned to look at me, where as others continued talking. I sat down beside a small man who was talking to some girl about how much money he had... When he turned I instantly recognized who it was! It was Makey, the short guy who was accompanying Kade on that day.

He looked at me for a moment before saying, "Hey! It's you! How have you been? I've been sending you messages but I guess you haven't been getting them or something. So what's up?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "I've been good... and I haven't been doing anything much besides fighting for my life and stuff. You know..."

Makey laughed and said, "Yeah! I know exactly what you mean. I've been on the front lines fighting my heart out, saving damsels, making money. You know..."

I tried to give a laugh to humor him, but I don't think it worked... A man brought me a drink and said, "Here you go hun... The meeting will begin soon."

I sat there drinking from the tea the man had given me. Makey kept trying to make conversation, but I just wanted to get out of here. There were too many people and they were starting to give me a headache. I watched people walk through the doors. Slowly the room began to fill. A man walked through the doors and the room greeted him warmly. He wore a gold set of armor and had a sword at his side. Behind him was what I guessed was his two bodyguards... One smaller than the other, he had black hair and brown eyes. And the other... Was Kade! I hadn't expected to see him here. And even more so, I never would have expected him to be someone's body guard.

The man in armor made his way to the head of the room shaking peoples hands along the way. Once the man reached the head of the room everyone took their seats quietly. The man cleared his throat and greeted everyone collectively, "Hello everyone! How is Aincrad today?"

There were scattered laughs throughout the room but besides that everyone remained quiet. The man then continued, "For those of you that do not know me. I am Jarrod, the leader of the Red Lances. The lead guild that are spearheading the journey to the 80th floor. I have gathered all of you today to discuss tactics and strategies to encounter the floor boss."

People looked from one to another. Makey looked to me and whispered, "You and I could take it on ourselves if your up to it?" I shook my head and continued listening.

"Now as most of you remember. The last floor boss caused quite a problem for us... 17 brave souls died that day... Let us take a moment to remember them." After a short pause he continued, "Now... Nathan and Kade, my two most trusted players went inside the room to judge the strength of the creature... It has 5 health bars and it uses a large cleaver as it's primary weapon. So I propose that we use a classic shock and awe tactic... We will have blockers encounter the beast first and then once they block and/or stun the creature. We use a combination of speed players and power hitters to deal some devastating damage. We will also need a relief squad with healing crystals at the ready if we want our plan to go off without a hitch. I believe 3 of each class would suffice... Anymore and we would be getting in one another's way... Does anybody oppose to this suggestion?"

The room remained silent except for the sound of the girl Makey had come here with... She was snickering about something that Makey had said... I looked at him and said, "Can you please get her to be quiet? She is getting on my nerves."

From the front of the room I heard the man say, "Excuse me young lady?! But are we boring you and your boyfriend there."

When I first turned I expected the man to be looking at the girl on the other side of Makey, however, he was not. He was looking straight at me. I said clearly, "This kid is by no means my boyfriend! I was actually telling him to keep his friend quiet so I could hear!"

As I finished speaking, Kade leaned in closer to the man and whispered something in his ear. The man looked quickly to Kade and looked at him with a questionable look. After a few moments he turned back to me and asked, "Samantha Kisaragi. Kade here says that you are a very capable fighter... Is this true?"

I thought about it for a moment, I was a skilled fighter, but as for 'very capable' I was unsure. I said to the man, "It is hardest to critique oneself..."

The man burst into laughter and said, "Will you and the boy beside you join us up here?"

I really did not like this was going. I hated being the center of attention... As I walked past Kade I gave him a cold look and stood to the side of the other bodyguard, Nathan. Makey stood beside Kade... I almost laughed at the difference in height.

Jarrod continued yet again, "Now we have 2 heavy hitters, a blocker, and 2 speed players... Now we just need to fill in the entire relief squad and the rest... Any takes?"

**10 minutes later...**

The rest of the teams were filled in, surprisingly enough, I was not the only girl chosen... I was so used to be ostracized from fighting tasks that this was extremely uncommon... We had one as a blocker, one as relief, and besides myself we had another as a speed player. It took me a second before I realized who the other girl was. It was Rose... The last time I had seen her she was useless... But apparently under some guidance she chose to devote herself to the front lines.

Jarrod said, "Now... This meeting is adjourned. Tomorrow morning we will head out to fight the floor boss... If we succeed, we succeed. But if we fail, we will need to have a back-up team. Talk among yourselves to find out who that will be. Goodnight everyone and may you dream well." Jarrod then exited through the back door of the building.

Kade walked up to me and said, "Sorry about that... All I told him was that he should watch out when speaking with you... Otherwise he may just have a lot on his hands. Didn't mean to drag you into this."

I scoffed and said, "Whatever... You know you just wanted to party with me again because I'm awesome."

Kade laughed and said, "Yeah sure that's what it is..."

Jarrod's other bodyguard Nathan walked up, "So who is the young lady Kade? You never told me that you were a ladies man."

Kade tried to warn him but it was too late, he got a left cross to the cheek that sent him sprawling. I then scolded him, "I am right here you know..."

Nathan brushed himself off and stood up, "I know. Doesn't mean I can't have a little fun though." He walked up again and stood besides Kade, his hands in his pockets. He then said, "So what is everyone doing? Does anyone want to get a bite to eat?"

**The Following Morning...**

I slept outside for the night... I hated being in rooms, they were so stuffy and crowded. The stars provided for a good enough ceiling for me. I had slept in a tree to make sure that no one would see me, let alone mess with me. I still had a fear that someone would duel me in my sleep and then kill me... I sat up and looked around the town... The sun wasn't even shining yet. It was just now starting to crest over the horizon. I stretched and yawned... That is until I fell out of the tree... I hit the ground with a dull thud. I laid there for a moment before sitting up once again, rubbing my head. "Lousy gravity thinking it can do whatever it wants. Always pushing me around and stuff..." I got up and walked into town to get some breakfast to start my day.

After eating some eggs, bacon, and toast I left the tavern and walked around for a bit longer. I opened my menu and read a message sent to me by Kade, it was telling me where we all were meeting and what time... I was glad that I had checked it then because I had 5 minutes left to get to the other side of town! I broke out into a run, hopefully they wouldn't leave me...

I saw a somewhat large group of players gathered at the gate. I could tell it was them because I could hear the sound of Makey laughing. I got there without a minute to spare... Once again, Jarrod was leading the group he asked, "So... Everybody ready? Weapons reconditioned, healing crystals bought, warp crystals bought, armor tied correctly." Apparently the last aprt was an inside joke between Kade, Nathan, and Jarrod because all of them busted out laughing. "Good! Now, let's go bag us a boss!" Jarrod turned and started walking to the West.


	8. Chapter 8: The Spirit of Fire, Pt 2

**Author Note: This chapter is a continuation of the last. It is still narrated from Samantha Kisaragi's point of view. Enjoy! and Please review! :D Thanks!**

We had been walking for a few hours now... Along the way our troupe had encountered a few enemies... Most of them were quickly killed by some member of the group... I myself bagged two Boarriors... Both times I looked to the rest and said, "That is how you take care of an enemy..." Nathan seemed to have a rather sour look on his face but Kade gave a hearty smile acknowledging my small jokes.

After a few more minutes we had managed to reach the boss' lair. Jarrod then turned to address the party as a whole, "Well, the floor boss is right in there. Kade and Nathan are going to be acting as vice-captains in Harold's stead..." The group held their heads low for a moment... I guessed that Harold used to be the second-n-command. I lowered my head to be respectful. Jarrod then continued, "When we step through these doors, we are brothers and sisters in arms. That is our bond... We are all trapped here together, let us make the best of it and go down with a hell of a fight. Watch each others back and remember the oath."

The group stood at attention and simultaneously began to recite some sort of oath, "If we may die in battle on this day, let it be so that a stranger may live. Be your comrades shield, and in turn, allow him to be your sword. Together we triumph... Divided we fall... This is the resonating oath of us, the Order of the Just."

The group then collectively relaxed... Jarrod nodded to Kade and Nathan, they together pushed open the large doors revealing the bosses room inside. From the dim lighting, at first, all I could see was a mass in the center of the room. We then all began to move in closer, I had started out in the third row of the formation... But I soon found myself at the front... I drew my sword and looked to either side, on my left was Nathan... And my right, Kade. I turned back to see both Makey and Jarrod... Makey had his sword out and Jarrod... He was wielding a giant shield. I turned back to Nathan and Kade, neither of them had drawn their weapons. Nathan pursed his lips as if he were whistling, but I didn't hear anything... Something moved out of the corner of my eye, walking beside me and up to Nathan was a large cat.

Nathan bent down and patted the cats head while whispering, "It is time to earn your keep, Fat-head." The cat let out a soft mew and then began to glow with a white light. The light moved over Nathan's left hand. When the glow faded, a medium-sized claw was there. I was rather surprised that Nathan was a beast tamer... I hadn't picked him to be a tamer...

Almost as if we were instructed, the group halted all at once. I heard Jarrod whispering to Kade, "Go up there and wake up our friend... That way all the aggro goes to you... I know you love being the tank..." Jarrod had a wide grin and Kade shot him a glance before looking to me and giving a shrug. Kade slowly advanced alone. It took everything that I had to keep from following him. I wasn't the kind of person to sit back and allow someone to go in alone. But this was all part of the plan... Kade made it to one side of the mass and his fists began to glow gold, signlaing the activation of his trademark sword skill. Kade brought his right fist back and then proceeded to deliver rapid, heavy strikes to the creature. Because the creature was asleep, every hit landed was a critical strike. The creature's health bar then appeared revealing a terrifying 8 bars... Kade, having delivered 12 critical strikes was unable to take out even half of one of the creature's bars.

The creature lashed out at Kade, but Jarrod was quick to substitute... His giant shield of his proved very effective at stopping the creature's attack. Somehow it was able to diffuse all of the power of the attack into a strong gust. The beast then swiped again at Kade and Jarrod. This time they leaped backwards creating some distance...

The creature slowly began to stand, showcasing it's humongous size. The creature looked like a giant lizardman with red scales. The creatures name appeared, it was called, "Scales of Crimson." A fitting name considering the way it looked. The lizardman then revealed his weapon... A giant trident.

Jarrod yelled, "Beaters! Work your magic!"

A group of players lunged, attacking the boss. The boss took a step backwards, apparently surprised at our group's aggressive behavior. But it soon overcame that as it swatted away three members with a single swipe. The relief unit was indeed fast. Before the three beaters had time to get up, they were being given potions to drink.

Jarrod barked the next set of commands, "Hit him quick strikers!"

Nathan turned to me and said, "That's our cue." In the blink of an eye, Nathan was gone.

I charged forward with my sword in my right hand. Upon reaching the bosses left leg I began to run up the side of it. Dragging the end of my sword up it's calf. When I reached it's hip, it swiped at me. I launched off, back flipping as I did so. I landed safely on the ground, but within moments the head of the spear was in front of me. I tried to dodge to the side, but I wasn't quite quick enough. The right tip grazed my side, causing a medium amount of damage.

Jarrod yelled again, "Kade! You're up again!" Kade went to advance towards the boss... But the boss had noticed the Kade's advance... Through Kade's abilities, he was quick to acquire aggro... He got batted away like a fly... Slamming against the wall. A relief squad member went to assist him, but Kade quickly waved him away telling him to save the potion for someone that needed it.

Jarrod then yelled, "Sam, Makey, Zero! Go for the stun!" Nathan was the first to react, with me close behind him. Nathan, cut a gash across the bosses chest. I followed up with burying my sword into the gash... Then makey finished the combo by slamming the flat of his blade into the hilt of my sword, driving it even deeper.

I landed on the ground, now weaponless... I had to retreat until someone could get my weapon... But because it was my sword that caused the most damage through the spout, I had acquired the majority of the aggro. In my attempt to fall back, the beast stabbed at me with it's trident. The variant though was that the trident was now glowing a deep purple. There was nothing I could do... I tried to guard myself as much as possible and await the impact.

But there was no impact, or at least not immediately at least... When I closed my eyes, I heard the sound of metal sheering, people screaming and Kade shouting, "NO!"

Something slammed into me, knocking me over and sending me skidding across the ground. I also slammed into the wall, hitting the back of my head against the wall... I couldn't believe that I had survived that attack... But how? My health had dropped to only a quarter. I looked up and saw why it was that I was alive... Jarrod... He had taken the full-force of the bosses sword skill... His shield, broken, laid on the ground beside him. Jarrod's health bar had reached zero...

I crawled over to him and couldn't believe what I saw... He had the widest of grins on his face. He was whispering something, but I only caught then end of it... He was saying the Order's oath... He then said, "Sam... I am glad that you helped me fulfill the oath that I created... Otherwise, my death would be meaningless. Give this to Kade..." He opened his menu and went through a few options... I received a armor set... He then continued, "And my shield... Give it to Nathan please... Thank you... Make sure they carry on." Jarrod then shattered into thousands of digital polygons.

I grabbed the pieces of Jarrod's shield and placed them in my inventory. When I looked up, I saw Kade and Nathan tearing at the boss relentlessly... But they were exchanging... They were also getting hit. I stood up and yelled to the rest of the party, "What are you guys doing?! Help out your vice-captains!" None of them made a move... Their leader had just been killed in one hit... The only one to step forward was Makey. And I am not ever sure that he had heard my rally. Makey broke out into a run...

I yelled to Kade, "Kade! I need my sword!" For a moment, I had wished that I hadn't said anything... The look in Kade's eyes as he turned to me was cold hatred... I couldn't tell if it was directed at me or if it was toward the creature... In either case, he gave a slight nod as he leaped into the air. He grabbed the hilt of my sword with one hand and balled his fist in the other. Instead of taking it out normally, he punched the boss in the chest and kept hold of my sword. Kade then fell to the ground with my sword in his hand. I turned to me and said, "Catch..." I could barely even hear him...

Kade tossed it into the air... I moved under it and caught it with my left. At this time, the rest of the party had snapped out of their temporary paralysis and joined us... We had the beast down to only 3 bars left... We had lost 6 more since Jarrod and the creature looked as if it was ready to give in... I charged my sword and activated my sword skill. I darted in and around the bosses left leg... Cutting many times at it's ankle. Upon the last cut, it dropped down to it's knee. We had breached the second to last bar and the bosses desperation skill kicked in... We had seen this with the last floor boss. Upon reaching a quarter of health remaining the boss with enter a stage of blind anger and desperate techniques... All of us backed off for a moment... But it was too late. The boss started to swing into the masses, killing multiple players with single swipes.

Our party was down to a relief member, Makey, Nathan, Kade, and I... This situation was beginning to look rather bleak...


	9. Chapter 9: Needles in the Red

**Author's Note: This chapter is going to be written in the 3rd person point of view. Please review and thanks for reading!**

**Chapter Nine: Needles in the Red**

The creature continued to attack the group. Kade and Nathan had suffered quite a bit of damage because of the bout they had with the beast. They backed off and let Sam and Makey take over.

Sam was much quicker than Makey and was the first to get up to the boss. The boss swiped at her with it's trident... But because of her acrobatic proficiency, she was able to easily jump over it. As Sam's feet met the ground she charged a sword skill. Makey was right behind her, already set for the follow-up strike. Sam lunged forward and up, slashing the beast horizontally across the chest. As she descended she lanced her sword down his chest and abdomen as well.

Makey had charged his sword skill as well. He launched high above the boss and yelled, "Strike Asunder!" He struck the beast at the snout, causing extreme damage... A half a bar to be exact. But the side-effect of Makey's attack left him temporarily open for an attack. And the boss took advantage of that. The boss reared it's gigantic trident backwards and then stabbed it towards Makey with all of the force it could muster. Makey was unable to move and was struck by the bosses' trident. He was sent backwards tumbling over himself.

Kade, Sam, Nathan, and Makey stood there. The boss had ran out of juice and was breathing heavily... The group readied themselves and went in for the final wave of attacks.

Nathan activated his beasts ability... His cat reappeared, but this time quite a big larger... The now tiger sized beast leaped onto the bosses' forearm, clinging to it. Nathan then yelled, "Fat-head! Erupt!" The animal glowed with a bright red hue and there was a moderate humming sound... Then, a violent explosion. A clawed gauntlet clattered to the ground, thrown from the explosion. And Nathan had a look of sadness on his face.

Then Kade interjected, he sprinted forward and leaped into the air. He then his right knee to knock the bosses head upwards so it was looking towards the ceiling. Kade then turned in midair, his left leg then glowed green, activating his sword skill, meteor smash. He then came down on the head of the boss, knocking it's head back down and causing it to look down to the floor. It's health dropped into the mid-range of it's last bar...

Next up was Sam, she performed a jumping pivot kick, smashing her foot into the center of the bosses' head. Knocking it backwards and bringing it's health into the red.

And lastly, Makey whom of which began to move during Sam's attack was already in mid-jump. He landed on the bosses abdomen and thrusting his hand in a half into the gut of the boss. The bosses health dropped to just a sliver... And with a torque of the sword, the boss shattered into thousands of polygons. It was over.

Makey shouted in triumph, "Yeah! Man that was the best fight yet!" Makey turned to greet his comrades warmly considering their well earned victory. But what he saw was not the look of victory...

Sam was talking to Kade and Nathan, "I'm sorry for what happened here you two... But Jarrod, he died with a smile on his face... He also told me to give you two these..." Sam opened her menu and gifted them the two things that Jarrod had left to his most loyal friends... His shield and his armor. Kade and Nathan thanked her and then began walking towards the staircase... They had just lost their leader... And at a very crucial time.

Upon climbing the staircase Nathan turned around and said, "You two... Jarrod felt as though you two were very valuable assets. So much so that he sacrificed himself. If you would, please join us..."

Kade turned back and said coldly, "Don't refer to them as assets... Now let's get a move on... With or without them... I cannot stay here any longer..."

**6 months later- Floor 30...**

The newly formed team combined their abilities to surmount a nearly unstoppable strategy. Nathan's unorthodox tactics and fighting style combined with Sam's speed and surprising power. And then Makey's devastating attacks matched with Kade's staggering and impromptu defense. Both pairs were very formidable when met alone, but when the two pairs become a group... That is when they become one of the most dangerous lead clans in Aincrad.

"What are we doing here again?" Makey asked as he scratched the back of his head,

Nathan turned his body a little and said, "We are here for a day off actually. Kade feels as though we have been hitting the frontlines hard for the past few weeks and he wanted all of us to have some time off."

Sam stretched and said, "Good! I'm bored of always sleeping on the ground, all the night watches and fighting."

Kade turned back and said, "All of you have two days. Then if you are still up for slammin' the front we will meet at the front gate at Noon. Have a good one you guys."

The group then divided, Nathan and Sam walked around looking at all the fun things to do and Makey followed. Kade on the other hand went a separate way, he had business to take care of. They had just so happened to stop in Bazaar... The most known party towns in Aincrad. There was always festivities for one reason or the other.

"So... What she we do beautiful?" Makey asked Sam.

However, Nathan cut in, "Makey! I told you to stop calling me beautiful! It is rather condescending and to be frank, I am not that way."

Makey yelled, "You nitwit I wasn't talking to you!"

Sam busted out laughing because of the antics of her fellow players.

They stopped outside of a very large building, on the front of the sign it said, "Bizarre Bazaar" From the looks of the building it looked like a regular shop. But from the window you could see the merchandise in which the owner dealt... True oddities seemed to be their quirk. Nathan turned to the other two and said, "I'm not into crazy things... But this place looks pretty cool. I am going to go inside, if you want to follow you can."

Sam and Makey looked to one another, shrugged and then followed Nathan through the front door.

Once inside, the atmosphere of the room seemed to catch the three off-guard... Well, more Nathan than the other two... Nathan said, "Who the hell is into buying this kind of stuff..."

Nathan spoke to soon, as he turned around he met the eyes of Makey... Makey had already found something that was quite amusing to him... A boarrior mask.

Makey's eyes and mouth were visible, from behind the mask, you could puzzle the look of pure joy. Makey said, "THIS PLACE IS AWESOME!" He took the mask off and looked at a tag that was attached to the right ear of the mask. "300 col?! That's ridiculous! I would maybe pay 30. And that is being generous!"

The shopkeep stepped out of the back and greeted the three... This is where Makey saw his opportunity... He quickly sleeked over to the counter and leaned on it, "Hey keep. How we doing? I just wanted to run something by you real quick. This mask right here, the price tag says that it is 300. I am sure that it was a typo, but in either case... I am willing to offer you... 15 col. I would have said 10, but I know a man like you needs to make some coin off of this as well. Whaddya say?"

At first, Makey had thought the owner was an NPC because of the generic greeting they had received... But no, the green indicator above the keep's head had just caught his eye... In his head he thought, "_Damn it... I really wanted that mask to..."_

A smile swept across the keeps face when Makey was finished talking, "Ah! You are quite skilled at bargaining... However, that tag was no mistake. The price on that is fair. That his the actual face of a level 44 boarrior... Three players were killed slaying that beast and it was given to a armorer as a 'gift' I should say... I was originally told to put it up for 500col and before I knew it someone would come in and sweep it away... I just put it on display and you are the 3rd person to come in here and attempt to purchase it. The highest offer I had received was 250 col... But I will not sell it for a coin short of 300... Besides, it is an item that you may be able to turn a profit from. Who knows?"

Nathan turned to look at Makey, he could see that the want for the mask had grown exponentially... He tried to stop Makey, but before he could Makey said, "You've got yourself a deal! 300 col flat!"

Nathan put his head in his hands and Sam looked between everyone asking, "Wait... What just happened?!"

Nathan said, "He wasted 300 col on a mask..."

Makey turned around, now wearing the mask once again... He said, "YEAH!" Makey marched out of the store singing in a quick tune, "I... am a... boarrior! I... Cannot... Be defeated! Because! I... am a... boarrior!"

Nathan just held his head down and pretended that he didn't know Makey.

The three continued to walk down the streets of Bazaar, frequently stopping in at shops to look at stuff. Sam ended up buying herself a new outfit and Nathan... He bought his cat, fat-head, a little armor set. It was rather superficial but Nathan thought that fat-head would look dashing in it.

Just a few hundred feet further was a cart with a merchant sitting on the inside selling his wares. But what stood out was the thing that he was selling... He was selling multiple masks... Including a set of boarrior masks... Makey quickly walked up to the man and asked, "Excuse me sir... But how much for a boarrior mask.

The NPC returned the greeting and told Makey that they were on special right now for a low 12 col. Makey turned and bolted off in the direction of, Bizarre Bazaar. Sam and Nathan fell into a fit of laughter cherishing the look on Makey's face. The two then continued down the street until they found a place to eat. Nathan opened the door and said, "After you milady."


	10. Chapter 10: Two Faces One Coin

Author's Note: I apologize for not getting to this sooner. It has been a pretty rough week. :/ But either way, here is the next chapter! We meet a new character in this one so, read on! Please review! Thanks!

**Chapter Ten: Two Faces... One Coin.**

After Kade had separated himself from the rest of the group he had chosen a player-bounty quest to follow-up on. Reports have said that a PKer has been running rampant the past two floors and needed to be stopped. The client, family of the recently injured... He approached the area where the quest report said the man or woman would be waiting. That is when he saw her, a beautiful young lady. But something was greatly troubling her. Kade automatically knew that this was my client. Kade walked up to the young lady and asked, "Excuse me... But are you the one that filed this quest?" Kade sent her a headline of the quest.

"Yes... Are you willing to help? So far no-one has taken the quest. All of them saying that I was mad for even wanting someone to go after the person." The young lady said.

Kade sat down across from the lady and said, "Well... I am very interested. And what may I ask is your name young lady?"

The girl said, "Angela... Ang for short..."

"Okay Ang... First tell me, what happened..."

15 minutes later...

Ang finished explaining, "And then I posted the quest asking if anyone can hunt this man down... I don't want anyone else to get hurt..."

Kade sat back and breathed... "This guy is someone that I can't take lightly. It sounds like he and I are stacked the same way... Except for the fact that he uses two axes..." he thought.

Ang asked, "So what do you say? Do you think you can help me out? I only have 500 col to spare..."

Kade stood up and stretched, "Well... You keep the money. This guy sounds like a monster... It would be wrong for me to walk away. You said that he was last spotted an hour ago outside of town?"

Ang simply nodded.

"Then I will be back before too long. If not send this person a message saying to continue without me. Make sure to put at the end, Codeword: Pheonix. She will know what it means... Thank you..." Kade said as he gave the young lady Sam's player info.

Kade then walked away from the table rolling his right arm in his socket. He then said under his breath, "I hope I make it back..."

**Once outside the town…**

Kade walked the roads, looking for this killer… Ang said that he would probably be out looting someone else by now. Kade heard shrieks coming from over a hill. He broke out into a run trying to crest the hill.

Upon reaching the top of the hill, he saw the source of the disturbance… Down in the valley below was a group of players who had apparently been trying to power-level. There were about six of them… Four of them were guys, two girls. One was apparently not a member of the group because the other five were focusing on the one man. At first I thought that they may have been ganging up on the single guy, but I soon found that I was mistaken. I recognized the solo-player as the killer Ang had described… He was fighting with such ferocity. From the sound of the clashing metal I heard the sound of one man yell out, "Run!"

The two girls started running towards the town, along with one guy… This left two guys behind. As the two started to move forward the single man activated a sword skill, slashing the two and bringing them to the ground… He then started after the rest of the group, his dual axes gleaming in the setting sun.

Kade drew his spear as he was running. When he was just a few feet from the right side of the man he yelled, "Hey!" A split-second after which he layed into the man with the shaft of his spear, sending him sprawling. The man turned in mid-skip across the ground and opened into a three-point stance. Upon observing the man Kade noticed a deep murderous look behind his eyes. He felt a tinge of fear, but did not allow it show.

Kade said to the man, "Are you the one that has been killing innocent players?!"

The man stood up and then belted out a malicious laugh. He then said, "Isn't that obvious?" He then broke out into a run, charging at Kade.

The man swung the axe in his right hand, Kade side-stepped it, but only to be caught with the second strike. Kade drew back in pain and took a few steps backwards… He was not used to handling dual-wielding adversaries… Kade took a breath and asked the man, "What is your name? If you are to kill me, I would like to know the name of my better so that I may hunt you down in the next life if given the chance."

The man smiled and said, "My name is Fury… Or at least I think it is… It doesn't matter… And I want to know your name so I can find you in the next life as well… And then kill you again."

Kade smiled back at Fury for his blind confidence, "My name is Kade… Now shall we?"

The man nodded and broke out into a run, Kade switched his tactics twisting and jabbing, pivoting and slashing. Each stroke was either parried or blocked in some fashion.

Kade said, "You are no amateur… That's for sure."

Fury yelled, "Unfortunately you are an amateur!"

Upon yelling Fury slashed horizontally with both of his axes. Kade ducked down and came up with a rising butt stroke, catching Fury on the end of his chin.

Fury backed away, touching the spot that Kade had just made contact with. "I guess you aren't and amateur. But that still doesn't matter!" Fury activated a sword skill, his axes glowing a crimson red he leaped around and flipped about, delivering choice strikes here and there. Most of his attempts were warded off, however a few made contact. As Fury went to leap over Kade's head, Kade reached up and grasped the man's foot. Pulling him downward, Kade slammed Fury into the ground.

But Fury was far from done, while lying on his back he torqued his body and swiped at Kade with an axe at the same time. Kade was barely able to get out of the striking range, the very edge of the blade glided it's way across his shin. It was a weak cut though because of how little it penetrated. Kade looked to his HP bar, he still had four-fifths left. And thanks to the people he was fighting before, his opponent had only half left. Kade reared his spear back and then jabbed it at Fury. Fury easily parried this and moved into striking range. Kade tried to counter by releasing his rear hand from the shaft and attempting to punch Fury, but Fury continued to move instead of stopping to attack. Fury had moved behind Kade now and took both axes, making an X-shaped cut across the broad of Kade's back. The hit was critical and both did substantial damage. Kade was now down to a quarter health. Kade pivoted on his right leg and sweeped the feet of Fury using the butt-end of the spear. As Fury fell to the ground, Kade raised his spear above his head and began to bring the tip of his spear toward the man. But he stopped just inches from the man's face.

The expression behind Fury's eyes had changed… They were no longer murderous, no, behind the glassy surface lurked distress and grief. Kade shot at him sharply, "Who are you really?!"

The man stuttered and said, "M-My na-na-name is Vince… What happened? Did he hurt someone?"

Kade couldn't believe what was happening, it was a possibility that it was a façade to save his life… But Kade didn't believe it. Kade then said, "Yes you did… You have killed 8 players… Get up…"

The man got to his feet and began his story…

**5 minutes later…**

Kade asked, "So you have a split personality? You alter ego being this Fury character?"

Vin nodded…

"Wow… That's some pretty rough stuff. You are a victim yourself… Come with me… You have some explaining to do to some people."

Vin and Kade then walked back to the town


	11. Chapter 11: Vin's New Resolve

**Author Note: This chapter is going to be portrayed through the eyes and perspective of Vin/Fury. If you have any OC ideas or anything. Send them to me, I will be more than glad to feature your idea in a chapter. Please comment and review afterward to help me! Thanks! Now, onto the story!**

**Chapter Eleven: Vin's New Resolve.**

I followed Kade into town. I kept getting peering glances from other players... My indicator announced to all that cared to look that I was a murderer. Well, not me exactly. The other me, the opposite of me... HE, if you will. That HE was a murderer. I made sure to keep close to Kade. I asked him, "So who am I doing some explaining to?"

Kade turned back to me and said, "A young lady... Fury, he killed her brother a few days ago. She doesn't understand the circumstances of the situation, so she put out a quest to have you killed... I am the one that answered the quest..."

I continued following Kade for a ways until we reached a building. Kade turned around and said, "Now... Be prepared for her to be angry with you. Also be prepared for some crying. And for heaven's sake, do not let the other guy take control all right? I don't want to ever have to try to hunt him down again..."

I simply nodded, we then stepped inside.

The young woman sat beside the window, gazing out, you could tell that she had been crying...

Kade said, "Ang... I have someone who would like to talk to you..."

The young woman apparently named Ang turned toward him, "Who is it?"

I stepped out from behind Kade to reveal myself, I hung my head kind of low to show that I was sorry.

Ang instantly shot out of her chair, "Why is he here?! He killed my brother?!"

Kade then said, "Ang. Just listen to him... He wants to explain.

I spoke up, my voice cracking as I did so, "Ma'am... I'm sorry for your loss... But I did not kill your brother. There is another part of me... He killed your brother..."

Ang still had no settled down, "What do you mean 'he' killed my brother?! I was there, it was you! You cut him down!"

I looked up now, meeting her eyes...

Ang sat down and gawked at me, she then said, "It isn't you... The man that killed my brother, his eyes were as Red as blood... But... But how?"

I sat down across from her and began to explain my situation...

**5 minutes later...**

"But still the fact of the matter is it really wasn't you after all... It was that monstrosity inside of you..." Ang said... Tears welling in her eyes.

I then replied, "In any case... I should be held responsible... Kill me... Kill it..." I sent the young girl a duel request. My plan was to allow her to kill me in a duel. That way Fury could not hurt anyone else.

The girl stood up... And to my surprise, smacked me across the face. I felt no pain, it felt as if my face had been slightly pushed. Ang then yelled, "That wouldn't make any sense! Kill someone when it isn't really their fault?! If anything... I want you to hurry up and clear this game... That way... That way I can see my mother and father again and tell them what happened and be there for them..."

I couldn't believe how mature this little girl was. I stood up and hugged her, "None the less, I am sorry... And I'll do just that... We'll reach the top floor... And then, then we will free everyone. For your brother."

Ang returned the hug and then quietly walked into the backroom. Kade placed his hand on my shoulder and said, "Come on... She needs to be alone right now."

I followed Kade outside the building... Once outside, he didn't say a word... He just kept walking... I thought about asking him if I could party up with him... He seemed like a strong player... But he would probably just turn me down considering that I wasn't just Vin, I was also Fury.

Fury spoke inside my head, "I_ wish she would've accepted the duel request... Then I could've killed her too... And then I could've had another shot at the big guy..."_

I said to myself, "_Shut up... I hate you... You disgust me._"

_"Oh don't be sour Vinny... I am you... Or a version of you rather. One without fear and regret."_

"_You are my fear... My regret..._"

_"That hurts Vinny. I thought we had some kind of special understanding?"_

I shook my head side to side and continued following Kade silently. After a few more minutes we reached an inn... Kade turned to me and said, "Listen Vin... You are a really chill guy and everything and over the course of this past hour I've been thinking about recruiting you as a member of the party of clearers I usually associate myself with. But there is one problem... That other side of you, the other edge of your blade. How can I be certain that he won't turn and stab me in the back?"

I was startled by this question, for one, I did not think he would even consider recruiting me... And second, can he read minds? I had been wondering what would happen if I were to ask... I said to him, "I cannot assure you that Fury will not attempt such a thing... And I can't promise that I will be a good team-mate. But I would try my best at both. And if you allow me to party up with you and Fury does make an attempt on your's or your friend's lives, I want you to cut me down... Cut him down..." And if one day after he takes over and I awake and you guys are nowhere to be found... I will kill myself, thus killing him as well."

I then spoke inwardly, "_You hear that Fury? If you are to take over and try to kill them... You'd better hope to the Lord that I don't take back over... Because when I do, it's over for the both of us._"

Kade stood there for a moment, turning the thought over in his head. He then said, "Alright you have a deal... Are you as good as a fighter as Mr. Hyde?"

I sort of chuckled at the reference, "I am better than he is... I don't disregard my own safety and I try to protect others as well."

Kade laughed and slapped me on the shoulder, he said, "Very well answered... Well, I guess that qualifies you..." Kade opened his menu and chose a few options before it closed and he looked up to me. A notification appeared in front of me asking if I would like to join Kade's party... It had 4 other people listed. I guessed that these people were the other clearers of which he spoke. I accepted the request.

Kade then turned and said, "Right now everyone is on R&R. We are meeting up at the Front Gate at Noon tomorrow... I am heading out to the fields to do some fighting to familiarize myself with some of this floor's tactics... Adios."

Kade turned and walked away leaving me there. I opened my map and chose to meet up with the rest of the team and introduce myself...


	12. Chapter 12: The Hunt

**Admin Note: Hello again! This chapter is going to be taking the 3rd-person perspective. I am going to continue this story all the way to the end... So... If you like it, you can go ahead and either favorite me as an author or just favorite the story to receive notifications on new chapters or chapter updates. :) Thanks for reading! Please review to help me grow as a writer! :D**

**Chapter Eleven: The Hunt...**

Today was the group's last day of rest before they returned to the front-lines to reach the top floor and clear the game.

"What do you mean you missed it?" Nathan asked.

Vin turned away, "I threw my axe... And well... It just missed alright."

Vin, while going for a walk the previous night had encountered an S-class ingredient, a Red Hare. It was a animal about the size of a small dog. When cooked correctly it is considered to be one of the best tasting meals to be had on Aincrad.

"Well then you know what this means right?" Nathan asked the group.

"What? What does it mean?" Sam asked.

"That we have to go out and hunt this thing down... No way is a chance like this going to idly slide through my grasp. Our grasp for that matter." Nathan said definitely before standing up.

"What makes you think we can even find it? It is an S-class ingredient... Which means that there is only maybe one or two in this entire world." Sam opposed.

"Doesn't matter. It would be more fun to go on a hunt then to sit and laze around town for another day. Am I right?" Nathan said.

Sam shrugged and Makey said, "Well then it is settled... A hunt for dinner is settled."

The group stepped out of the tavern into the rest of the town. The sun hung high in the sky. A cool wind blew in from the North, tossing the hair of passerby and filling the town with the smell of flowers from the meadows just North of the town. The group then headed out to start their hunt for their S-class quarry.

The group trekked outside of the town for about 20 minutes, they walked through the meadow and into the forest… The group than stopped at the spot where Vin had encountered the animal.

"So this is where you saw it Vin? Where was it exactly?" Makey asked.

"Well... I was right about here. And the Hare was over there, in between that big tree and that fallen log." Vin said pointing towards the location.

Sam walked up to the spot and knelt down, surveying the small area. She found a peppered trail of footprints that the animal had left. She then said, "The Hare went to the West. We can reasonably presume that it when to it's nest after receiving a fright from Vin here."

Nathan cut in, "So onward! To the West!"

Sam slapped him in the shoulder and said, "We don't know how far away it is… If you keep yelling you might scare it and it will be aware that we are close, making this much more difficult than it needs to be."

Nathan frowned and said, "Sorry… I'm just trying to have fun with it is all."

The group then followed Sam as she followed the animals trail, the trail darted in, out, and around various forms of local fauna and shrubbery. The sun was beginning to set now, the air was cooling down as well, showing that a storm was on it's way. Makey, looking to the sky, interjected, "We better hurry up or else we're going to get caught in one hell of a storm."

The group all turned their eyes to the quickly gathering storm clouds. Nathan then said, "Well we'd better hurry up…"

Just as he said this, a white-lightning bolt licked it's way across the sky, the resonating thunder shook the ground. As it did, it accented the rich Red tint of a fleeing animal.

"There it is!" Vin yelled as he readied an axe. He threw it, the blade tumbling after the base. The axe sunk it's head deep into the bark of a tree just a few inches from where the rabbit had just been. The group broke out into a run, chasing after the nimble animal.

Makey activated his sword skill, "Thunder Dash." His sword glowed with a yellowish-light as made a lunge, advancing several dozens of feet within just a split second. Makey made a passing slash at the creature, but it was able to narrowly avoid the attempt on it's life.

Sam broke off from the rest of the group in an attempt to keep it from changing it's course. Nathan, seeing Sam's plan followed and flanked it to the right. The creature was boxed in by the four players. The creature began darting about in between the four trying to find an opening for it to escape. But each member of the group was quick to stunt any advance.

As Makey went to make the killing strike Nathan's beast pounced on the Hare, grabbing it by the throat. Nathan instantly said, "Yeah! Fat-head!"

The cat's prey shattered into thousands of bits and Nathan received a notification that he had received a Super-rare item. Nathan shouted in glee, "Yeah! Good job everyone! Fat-head especially that was tight little dude." Fat-head purred as he rubbed against Nathan's leg.

The group left the forest to headed back towards town. It wasn't too much longer after entering the town before the sky seemed to open up and loose a torrent of ice-cold rain. The group hurriedly ran to the tavern… Once inside they began discussing dinner preparations.

"So who has the highest cooking skill? I assume Samantha considering that she is a woman." Nathan said smiling to Sam.

"That's sexist! I resent that!" Sam said as she smacked Nathan.

Makey on the other hand had been comparing everyone's skills, "Well… Not to be a sexist or anything… But he's right… You are the only one with a mastered cooking skill let alone, the only one that meets the minimal prep level."

Nathan busted out laughing, "See! I was right!"

"That doesn't matter! It was still rude!" Sam shot back.

**At the Eastern Gate Entrance…**

While Kade was out in the fields leveling up, he had encountered a small group of players. The group referred to themselves as the Laughing Coffin. After just a couple minutes of discussion, it was revealed that they were Pk'ers. But what was puzzling was that only one of them had a red icon. Kade opened his message and tried to alert everyone else of his location so he could get some back-up considering there were six of them. But before he could the group had went on the offensive.

Kade narrowly dodged the blade of a short-red headed woman, but only to be caught across the back by another. He ducked under a quick hook from a tall, well-built man and came up with an uppercut to counter it. The man stumbled backwards and said, "Charles Illise! Get his arms!"

Kade was quickly restrained by two of the members. The next thing he felt was the cold steel of a blade pierce his gut. The tall man got close and said, "That was rude of you… To strike a superior…"

The man wrenched the sword, causing Kade even more pain. The man then continued, "Now… What to do to you? Kill you right now? No… No… You are going to suffer."

Kade looked between the members, all of them had the same torturous expression. He gripped the man's shirt collar with his right hand, despite being restrained by the young woman named Illise. He then drew his head back and pulled the man violently. He then thrusted his head forward, causing his and the man's head to collide. The large man stumbled backwards and fell down.

Kade then rag-dolled Illise and brought a crashing right hook to the side of Charles' head, knocking him down as well. Illise was quick to release Kade after dropping two of her companions with relative ease. Taking the opportunity Kade fled for the town. Not that he was a coward, but he knew he had no chance against the group of 6. They would kill him in a matter of seconds.

Kade left the Laughing Coffin behind once he entered the town. They knew that if they were to follow any further they would be prosecuted by other players as soon as they found out what they were doing.

Charles yelled at Kade, "A hit and run, eh? Why not fight us like the big man you make yourself out to be?"

Kade ignored the imbecile, he thought a weak taunt would really get him to throw his life away? He opened his map and found that the rest of the group was at a tavern called, "The Moonlit Maiden."

Upon entering the tavern Kade saw his friends, all sitting around a table bickering about cooking skill. He sluggishly walked over, tired from sprinting for so long. He fell against a table, knocking it and the chairs around it to the ground.

Sam turned around to see who the drunk was that was destroying the tavern, a typical sight in the taverns across Aincrad. But instead of seeing a clumsy-footed drunk she saw Kade.

She jumped up from her chair and hurried beside him, taking out a healing crystal when she saw his health. It was dangerously low. So low that it was just inches from zero. She broke the crystal over him, the pieces showering over him. Sam then asked, "What happened?!"


	13. Chapter 13: And So the Plot Thickens

**Author's Note: Hello again! Thanks for reading my fanfic of Sword Art Online! :D I have seen that it has become somewhat popular. lol This chapter, as the one before it, will be narrated in the third person point of view. If you like the story, go ahead and follow it, that way as soon as I add another chapter, you will know it. :D I plan on finishing this one and seeing it through. Once again, thanks for reading. :)**

****Chapter Thirteen: And So the Plot Thickens...

The was pouring down harder than ever, making pit-patter rhythms as it collided with the glass panes of the tavern. The usual tavern jostle and ceased after Kade's fainting. Makey, Nathan, and Vin all helped Kade up to a room. Well, more carried than helped... Kade did not help at all. Sam sat there and grabbed Nathan's ale, drinking it down in just a few drinks... She usually had tea or something, but seeing Kade's condition somewhat rattled her. He was known for being one of the physically strongest and tactful of the lead-group. Easily recognized by others because of the golden armor he was gifted.

Vin and Makey came back down, Vin said, "Nathan is getting Kade into some dry clothes so he doesn't get any status ailments from sleeping in sopping wet clothes. Do you two think he'll be alright?"

Makey looked at him and said, "I'm sure he'll be fine... I mean... He is Kade after all."

Nathan descended down the stairs and walked up to the table, grabbed his drink and shrugged, "I thought I still had some left... In any case, I am going for a walk... Kade is unconscious and I he probably won't wake up for a few hours... THis is the worst I have ever seen him. And I've seen him take some of the hardest hits...I'm going for a walk... I'll meet all of you back here at Noon... Goodnight."

Sam looked at Makey and Vin and asked, "What do you think his problem is?"

Makey then said, "Well... Kade and Nathan are basically brothers... He just had to help his brother to bed after taking some major damage..."

Sam nodded her head and said somewhat slurred, "So... He is sad?"

Vin gave a chuckle and said, "So that's where the rest of Nathan's drink went."

Sam laughed and said in the slurred voice, "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Vin and Makey gave each other a glance and said, "Well... Noon is going to be in just a few hours... I guess we all should be getting to bed." They then got up from the table, finished their drinks and headed to the rooms.

Sam sat at the table alone and ordered another drink. She drank that one as well, but this time a bit slower. She paid the waitress and got up asking where Kade's room was. The NPC waitress smiled and said, "He is the third door on the right. Have a good night Samantha. Thank you." The NPC then returned back to the kitchen.

Sam stumbled up the steps, tripping and falling a couple of times, every time she just sat there and laughed until she got back up. She reached the third door on the right and looked inside, the moon poured in from the window, illuminating the room quite well. Kade was asleep in the bed, snoring somewhat quietly. In her drunken stupor she stumbled in and fell onto the bed beside Kade. She could smell the fresh rain coming from the sky. She turned over and scooted closer to Kade, lying her head on Kade's shoulder before closing her eyes and falling fast asleep.

**In the Forest Outside of Town...**

****Nathan was furious with what they had done... He told them specifically not to attack any of the people he associated himself with. He saw the group's campfire and said to Fat-head, "Level 3..." Fat-head glowed a bright red and began to grow to the size of a tiger. He wanted to keep this ability a secret from his friends... He stepped into the fire-light and asked the group, "Who attacked Kade?!"

Instantly the smallest male pointed to the largest of the group. Within a milli-second fat-head was on top of him pinning him to the ground with his large fangs wrapped around his throat. Nathan walked up and said, "What was my one rule?! My one rule?!"

The man through tears said, "Not to attack your group! I'm sorry Nathan! Please forgive me!"

Nathan looked away, Fat-head bit down crushing the male's windpipe... He shattered into thousands of mirroring polygons. Fat-head shrunk back down to his normal size. He then addressed the rest of the group, "Why did you not attempt to stop him?"

Charles and Illise stuttered over their words and said, "He would've killed us if we told him to stop... You should have seen him... The blood lust must've got to him."

Nathan sneered and said, "Take this as an example... You mess with any of them without my permission... The same thing will happen to you."

The remaining three looked to one another and nodded signaling that they understood him loud and clear.

Nathan began his walk back to town, wishing not to be seen in the company of murderers.

**The Following Day...**

Vin stretched and turned to see Makey, he was muttering something about money and how he doesn't have enough... Vin sat up in his bed, his memory a bit fuzzy after the last night's drinking. He remembered Kade and what had happened. He shot up, still in his pajamas he ran into the hall and to Kade's room. He eased the door open and peered inside. Sam was lying down beside Kade with her head on his arm and Kade embracing her. Vin slowly closed the door and returned to his room. While walking down the hallway he heard Fury's voice, "We totally saw that coming!"

Vin somewhat chuckled and said, "Yeah... Makey totally called it. And after he mentioned it, there wasn't a doubt in my mind."

Fury said, "You mean 'our' mind."

Vin said coldly, "No... I meant what I said."

Fury said, "But I'm paying rent!"

Vin asked, "How so?"

Fury answered, "If you are ever in trouble I'll step up for you because you're too much of a wuss to do anything."

Vin shot coldly, "Shut up... I am better than you in every aspect."

Vin opened the door to his and Makey's room, Makey was sitting up on his elbow and rubbing his eyes. Makey saw Vin's face and said, "I told ya. She was drunk and I am sure she had another drink or two."

Sam opened her eyes, her head kind of hurt and the light from the sun kind of hurt her eyes as well. She then realized where she was and who had his arms around her. For a moment she was frozen... "_What happened last night? This is exactly why I never drink!" _The last thing that she remembered was thinking that she was cold and remembering how warm Kade usually was... She shook her head and yelled to Kade to cover up the incident, "Hey! What are you doing?! You pervert!"

Kade's eyes shot open, he was dumbfounded at what was going on... The last thing he could remember was entering the tavern... And now he was in bed, completely changed and lying down with Sam. He shot out of bed and got light-headed. He clumsily stumbled out of the room, hitting his forehead on the door frame as he exited the room. He sat outside of the room for a little while trying to comprehend and remember what had happened. He was unable, he put his head back and looked to the ceiling.

He opened his menu and chose his armor set, in moments his clothing transformed to the golden armor that he had grown accustomed to. Kade stood up and walked downstairs to order something to eat.

Sam sighed, glad that she could cover-up what had happened. She got out of bed and got dressed. She chose to get Makey and Vin to go downstairs with her if they weren't already downstairs... She knocked on their door, hearing Vin say, "Come in" she opened the door. The two had the stupidest grins on their face when they saw who their visitor was.

"Shut up!" Sam said.

Makey shot back, "We never said anything."

"You didn't have to. Silence speaks volumes." Sam said.

Vin asked, "I suppose Kade is downstairs? And you don't want to go down alone so as to avoid an awkward situation?"

Sam blushed, but gave a slight nod.

Vin laughed and said, "Give us a little while to get dressed.

Sam closed the door and in just 20 short seconds they had finished and all of them were heading downstairs. They all sat down at the table that Kade was at. Both Kade and Sam avoided one another's eyes.

Vin asked, "So how you feeling big guy?"

Kade rubbed his head, "Well... I am really confused. But otherwise I feel great."

Sam blushed, but said nothing. Makey said, "Nathan is supposed to meet us here shortly... So what happened last night?"


	14. Chapter 14: The Snake's Desire

**Author Note: Hello. Not as much feedback on the last chapter as I had hoped. But es todo lo bueno! :D In this chapter we are going to enter the eyes of Nathan for the first half and then return to the indiscriminate 3rd person in the second. Thanks for reading and please review if you like the story. :) Or even if you don't, tell me how I can possibly make it more... Well... More. :) Thanks again!**

Chapter Fourteen: The Snake's Desire.

I opened my eyes, it had been a few days since my idiotic subordinates attacked my brother. The rest of the group discussed over those days a appropriate course of action. Most were inquiries toward Kade about what they looked like, what weapons did they use. But none of that really mattered. If he correctly identified any of them. I would kill whomever he identified. I don't want any loose strings that could be traced back to me. Luckily though, none of them would be able to tell about my true self.

I stood up and looked around, "Whatever we do... We need to find out who attacked Kade as soon as we can. They need to pay for what they did."

Makey, the short one, looked at me and said, "We know that. We just need to figure out where to start."

I pretended to get frustrated, in actuality I was impartial at this point. The truth was, the reason why I was angry was because Kade was my friend. No... He is my brother. I didn't really care for anyone else in the group. Especially Makey and Sam... They were to smart for their own good. Vin was pretty lax and I was warming up to him pretty well. I find it intriguing that he has a second half... Is he like that in the Real World? Either way... He was a pretty cool guy. The only reason why I stuck with this group is because the have the highest chance of reaching the top floor. I have personally witnessed how well they work together. Their defensive capability is outstanding, but what really marks them is their offense. From what I have seen, they are quite unmatched. They are able to fell a boss in just a matter of minutes. They worked like clock-work. Vin, and Makey headstrong fighting style accented Sam's precise attacks excellently. Makey was the power player of the three, able to break the guard of most everything he has come across. Vin's aggravated assault kept the creature from regaining it's composure, and Sam's precise attacks almost always dealt critical damage. Through observing the strengths and weaknesses during Makey's and Vin's attacks she was almost always able to find a weak spot. And to tie it all together in a neatly wrapped bow. Kade had excellent leadership and he was by far one of the best defense-type tanks in Aincrad.

I was a side-note, a support character. My beast, fat-head, is special... At the beginning of all of this, I never received a weapon although I selected the warrior preset as my base character... Apparently some higher power decided to make me a tamer... Which had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Fat-head is a great companion and a great weapon. But I wouldn't be able to take on the others head on.

I hated my life in the real world, I was tired of all the fakes, all the rules, all the drama. In this world, although it is somewhat frightful. Everyone is working towards the same goal... To exit this simulated existence and return to the real world. But I wanted just the opposite. I wanted to stay here forever. Here in Aincrad, with my friend. My brother. That is why I ultimately chose to ally myself with this group. I could work from the inside and delay their ascent to the top, or maybe stop it all together. I wanted to crush their hopes of ever escaping, and what better way than putting on a facade and working from within the knit?

I formed the group known as the Laughing Coffin. They are murderers, my idea behind constructing them is that if I ever needed any asset to the rest of the group killed. I had subordinates to do it for me. To slow the progress, to halt the climb temporarily. And besides, it made it easier on me. Any loot they collect, I get a piece of.

Kade stood up, popped his back and said to the rest of the group, "Well... I say that we continue on. We are bound to run into the group again somewhere along the way. Or maybe here word of where they are. Something... A group of PK'ers can't hide out very well."

Makey nodded and said, "You the boss-man. Whatever you think we should do I am down with.:

Sam chimed in, "That sounds pretty good... But aren't you angry at them for attacking you?"

Kade laughed and replied, "Angry? I'm absolutely furious. But not because they attacked me. Because they killed others. But to be honest, there isn't anything we can do. We are apparently the first to report a siting of PK'ers. I guess I was the one that got away."

Vin sat there not saying a word... But Fury was resonating loudly in his head, "_Hey! A group of people like me?! We should chill with them instead Vin! They will accept the both of us for who we are. Think of all the loot Vin! The loot!"_

__Vin shook his head and laid back and said inwardly, "Shut up Fury. I'm tired of hearing your voice."

Nathan walked over to Kade and gave him a slap on the shoulder, "Always the strong type brother. You are mad at them because they have killed others... But not because they tried to kill you."

Kade smiled as he wrapped his arm around Nathan's neck playfully putting him in a headlock and said, "I guess it is just who I am! Keep eating your veggies and maybe you could be just like me."

Nathan pulled his head out and leaped on Kade's back, "Why?! Your too big!"

**The Following Morning...**

The group had chose to spend one more night in town to collect themselves, making it an entire week they were gone from the frontlines. There was a bit more of drinking, Sam made it a point not to drink considering what had happened a few days ago...

Vin sat up out of bed and saw that everyone had fallen asleep in Kade's room. Everyone was asleep still except for Kade. He was sitting on the windowsill with his leg's dangling outside. Vin sort of chuckled to himself and asked Kade, "What are you doing?"

Kade turned back and said, "What? Oh! Just sitting here thinking..."

Vin got out of bed where Makey was laying with just his underwear on, it took everything Vin had to keep from laughing. Vin walked up beside Kade and leaned against the wall just a few feet from him. "What's on your mind? You can tell ole Vin anything you want. It'll stick with me if you don't want me to say anything."

Kade looked at Vin and said, "I believe you... Well... As I am sure you already know. I apparently slept walked or something... But either way, somehow I ended up sleeping with Sam. Not like sexually or anything... But actually slept. And for the first time in these past 7 months... I slept well, and woke up happy. I can't shake that feeling."

Vin got the widest, stupidest grin he ever had on his face, and he said, "Oh! Big, strong, nerves of steel, unmoving Kade has a soft-spot eh? And for Sam none the less!"

"Hey, keep it down will you." Kade said hushing him.

"Sorry. And would you like to know something?"

Kade gave him a look and said, "I guess... What is it?"

"You didn't sleep walk or nothing like that... Sam went in your room and fell asleep beside you. Mind you... She was drunk. But it was on her own accord." Vin said.

Kade gave him a look of disbelief, "Really? But she... Oh! She did it to cover it up. What is it with women man? I don't understand them in real life, and I don't understand them here either."

Vin laughed and said, "Yeah. Their lifes greatest mystery."

Sam stirred and looked at the two, "What is life's greatest mystery? What are you guys talking about?"

Kade fell out the window, "Ah!"

Vin busted out laughing waking everyone else up. In just a matter of minutes, everyone was ready to go back out to the frontlines and start clearing the path again. Clearing a path to the end.


	15. Chapter 15: Back on the Front

**Author Note: Hello! I am not tired yet so I decided to go ahead and start typing the next chapter. :) This one is strictly 3rd person, hopefully the last chapter didn't confuse you. :/ Not my best choice to change perspectives in the middle but hey, it was different! And different is always good. Thanks for reading! :D**

Chapter Fifteen: Back on the Front.

"Nathan and Vin keep him busy! Makey, slam him! And Sam, pick up their slack!" hollered Kade.

Nathan and Vin both advanced toward the scorpion-like monstrosity. The boss shifted back on it's hind-legs and lunged forward... Vin rolled out of the way and Nathan activated his sword skill, leaping high in the air with his clawed gauntlet, "Hurricane Tempest!" Nathan began spinning around rapidly. The boss looked up just in time to get the multiplied force to the head, flattening it out. Vin, coming out of the roll sliced at the scorpion's right bottom claw, severing it completely and leaving three remaining. The claw dropped to the ground and shattered into thousands of tiny pieces.

Makey, who was following up behind the two activated his sword skill, "Strike Asunder." Makey leaped high into the air, only to bury his hand and a half into the thorax of the creature. But Makey, hadn't expected the scorpion to make a counter-attack. The scorpion's tail moved faster than most could follow... Except for Sam that is. Sam, using her astounding speed, moved in between Makey and the incoming tail and parried the strike. Sam followed up herself delivering multiple well-placed strikes, mainly aiming for the joints of the scorpions joints. One of every three was a critical scoring 100-130 points of damage each. At the end of her bladed medley she delivered a total of 2400 damage. Taking the scorpion down to it's last bar of health... But, upon reaching that last bar the boss was sent into a frenzy.

It lashed out and hit Vin, slinging him into Nathan and knocking the both of them down. The next attack was aimed at Makey, slinging him from the thorax. Sam however, ducked under the swing and jumped off the boss on her own accord. But that was a bad idea in and of itself. Sam as soon as her feet hit the ground was entrapped by the boss' other claw. Her health began draining chunk by chunk. In seconds her health was in the yellow-zone.

Kade broke out into a run, the scorpion switched it's attention to Kade. The stinger went flying over the scorpion aiming straight for Kade. Kade side-stepped the stinger crashing into the ground beside him. Kade leaped into the air landing on top of the claw that was gripping Sam. He put his spear inside the claw and began to wrench on it. Sam's health hit the red bar, only 200 health remaining... And with every second she lost 20 more points. Kade pried the claw apart just enough to lessen the damage, now only getting 10 points per second.

Makey having regained his composure advanced, Vin and Nathan following right behind him. The trio began unleashing strike after strike, a flurry of blows within just mere seconds.

Kade having pried the claw apart just a little, quickly let go of his hold on the shaft of his spear and reached down into the claws. After a few seconds, he began pulling the claw apart even more. Sam wormed her way out of the claw, from the onslaught from the offensive trio. The scorpion was down to only a quarter of it's health remaining.

Kade yelled, "Sam! He's all yours!"

Sam smiled at Kade and nodded. She charged her sword and yelled, "Watch what I learned!"

Her sword began to glow blue, but as the seconds past, it started to turn purple and it began to shake violently in her hand. She then said, "Arcing Shimmer!" Sam moved faster than Kade could see and before he knew it, she was high above the boss. A streak of electric purple ran from where Sam started, to right in front of the creature, and went straight up as if delayed somehow. Marking out the path that she had taken to reach the boss.

As she began to fall back to the ground, the creature let out a loud shriek. It's cry was enough to cause everyone damage. Then it burst into polygons. A large message appeared, "Congratulations! You have defeated the Floor Boss!"

Kade quickly ran over to the rest of the group and said, "Good job everyone! And what the hell was that Sam?"

Sam shrugged and said, "I don't know. A few abilities appeared in my menu about two weeks ago. While I was alone in the fields I tried it out. Depending on how much I charge it, it allows me to move much faster, so fast that the light created from the technique seems to lag and follow my path moments after I take it. Pretty cool right?!"

Kade laughed and said, "Cool? That's awesome! What other abilities did you get?"

Sam smiled and stuck out her tongue, "I'm not telling you! You're gonna have to wait and see."

Kade once again laughed and said, "Good. I didn't wanna see them anyways. I just wanted you to feel better."

Makey spoke up, "So... Sam! What did you get for the boss drop?"

Sam opened her menu and began scrolling through her items until she found it, "Eclipse Bracelet, it apparently increase the user's hiding, sneaking, and listening skills by 50 each. It's worth 4,000 col!"

Makey instantly got close and said, "I will pay you 3,000 for it right now. The best you will get at a shop is 66 percent. So... I am beating that out by a couple hundred. What do you say?"

Sam backed away and said, "No. I am going to put this to good use."

Nathan took off his gauntlet and returned it's state back into his trusty partner, fat-head. Fat-head rubbed against Nathan's leg, as he did Nathan said, "Well... Let's go ahead and get to the next floor and see what's in store for us up there. Hopefully it is much better than what was on this floor... It was kind of boring to me."

Vin said, "Much agreed... Let's get a move on people."

The group all then transcended the stairs and became the first people to step foot on floor 22.

**4 months later on Floor 38...**

****"So there we were... Starring down this monster, starring down death itself. My mates here and I stood there, fearless, challenging every step the creature made. Luckily my freind Julius and his beast came to our aid.

Julius stepped forward with a mug of ale in each hand, "Heey! Julius! Thut's meh name!"

The tavern busted out into laughter. And Makey continued, "She lashed out with her spear, catching Kade over there off-guard and almost knocked him into a pool lava. But Nathan was quick to save him. But that did not ward him... Kade came back with a fire... But only to be snuffed out by Sam. With her arcing shimmer technique she knocked the boss backwards, making it step into one of the pools of lava itself... The lava rapidly drained it's health, almost killing it. But as is custom with our wonderful group... The newest member gets the killing blow... Julius, with his canine-like ferocity moved in and unleashed a plethora of quick, glancing strikes... Which is his sword skill, Vicious Maul... The creature exploded, leaving behind nothing... And that is the tale of how we defeated the floor boss of floor 33."

The tavern crowd busted into applause, praising not only the group but Makey's story-telling ability as well. Makey took a bow and sat down at the table with everyone else. Vin leaned in and said, "You've been practicing my friend."

Makey smiled and said, "I'm glad you can tell. That means that I'm improving."

Julius approaching rather clumsily, bumping into people as he made his way to the table. He leaned over the table, knocking Nathan's empty mug to the ground. Julius then said, "Heey... Makey... Your... You're a good... A g... A good friend. Here, watch me. My mug is going to go throw up."

The group busted out into laughter. They're glad that they had met and recruited Julius. He didn't drink too often. But when he does, it is always good entertainment. Kade said, "Hey ya'll. I'm going to step outside for a few minutes. This stale air is starting to get to me."

The group acknowledged the statement and returned to the usual conversation. Kade stood up and walked outside the tavern door closed, muffling the antics that were happening within.

The night air was crisp... Snow slowly fell from the sky, landing elegantly on the streets. Kade began walking around town when he saw a familiar face... A face that he had not seen in months... If he could recall correctly, his guild members called him, "Charles." Charles was around the corner, looking in the direction of Kade, as if he were spying on him or something. Kade pretended not to notice him and seemingly went on with his own business.

Kade calmly sat down on a bench and sent Nathan a message that said, "Hey... I'm outside... I believe I see a member of the Laughing Coffin. He appears to be watching me."

Nathan received a message notification, he opened it and read it before saying to everyone, "Excuse me... But Kade says he wants to speak with me. I will be back in a little while."

Just as they did Kade, they acknowledged the statement and went back to their conversations.

Nathan stepped outside cursing under his breath, "Why the fuck are they following us? Didn't I make it clear not to mess with my group? If I am discovered I may as well kiss my paradise goodbye..."


	16. Chapter 16: The Red Herring

**Author Note: Hello again! It's been a while since I've picked up the pen... Well... Keyboard. But here is Chapter 15! This is portrayed from the 3rd person point of view. Post a review if you don't like it so as I may tailor my writing to be more widely accepted. Thanks! And enjoy the read!**

Chapter Sixteen: The Red Herring...

Nathan left the tavern abruptly, Fat-head tottering behind him following his every step. The winter air was cool and a slight breeze was licking through the town. The cloud coverage made it difficult to see at times, but Nathan still found his way to Kade.

"Where is he?" Nathan asked quietly as he nudged Kade playfully so as to give the impression nothing was amiss.

Kade smiled and looked the opposite direction from Charles and said, "There... At the corner of the shop... Don't look right now or else he'll split..."

Nathan leaned back and looked to the sky, "Do you know if any of the others are here?"

Kade did just as Nathan did and replied, "No... I haven't seen them, so I assume they aren't here... The guy, I think his name was Charles... He is unsure if he should be doing what he is doing. Either he is doing this against someone else's wishes... Or he is afraid of the two of us."

Nathan chuckled inwardly and thought, "Actually... It is both..." Nathan then said aloud, "You know what we could do?"

Kade turned his head to Nathan and asked, "What?"

"We could get up all of the sudden and just book it after him... Not necessarily to capture him. But to spook him. Plus it would be kind of funny..." Nathan smiled.

Kade thought about it and said, "You know what... I'd be down with that."

Nathan then said, "On the count of 3... We shoot up and sprint towards him. Maybe chase him for a little bit more afterward?"

Kade said, "Alright... On the count of 3..."

After a second's pause, Nathan started counting, "1... 2... 3!"

The two shot out of their seats and made straight for Charles. Charles yelped and tripped over his own feet before scrambling back up and running.

Kade and Nathan were laughing, genuinely enjoying themselves. Charles was too quick for Kade... Kade slowed to a slow jog and yelled after Nathan, "Just let him go!" But Nathan made no effort of slowing down... The two soon disappeared out of Kade's field of vision. Kade started back towards the tavern to let the others know what happened.

Nathan was dodging in and around bushes after Charles, gaining inches every moment on him. They were quite far outside of the town now. And Nathan could smell a campfire that must have been just ahead. Soon the forest opened into a small clearing and there was indeed a small campfire. Charles attempted to dart straight through, but the entire time Fat-head had been waiting for Charles to lead them to their camp.

The newest member of the group, Jeremy yelled when he saw Nathan chasing Charles. The largest member of the group, Braxton stood up, obviously somewhat spooked from seeing the sudden appearance of their leader. Charles shrieked as Fat-head pinned him to the ground. Nathan darted his eyes from one member to the other… His small organization was growing…

"You with the white hair… What did I say is the one rule when you asked to join the Laughing Coffin?" Nathan asked sharply.

The white haired teenager looked about and said, "You… Umm… You said… Not to mess with your group that you traveled with?"

Nathan threw his hands in the air, "Look! The newbie gets it! Charles… You were one of the first people I ever recruited. Why did you disobey me?"

Charles looked about and said, "I just wanted to see what was so special about that Kade guy. You spend all your time hanging out with him and I don't know… I just wanted to know why that was."

Nathan chuckled and said, "You could've just asked me…" Nathan whistled and fat-head let the man stand up.

"Come here Charles… I'm sorry for having fat-head pin you to the ground…" Nathan said.

Charles walked closer, still quite timid about the situation. Nathan reached up and Charles flinched. Nathan laughed and brushed the dirt off of the man's shoulder.

Nathan then turned and said, "I should've done it myself…" In the blink of an eye Nathan moved behind the man and stabbed him in the middle of the back with a dagger.

Through restrained teeth Charles said, "But… But why?"

"Because you disregarded my orders…" Nathan hissed.

The group gasped… Most of them were surprised at how fast Nathan had moved… It was almost like he teleported…

Nathan tossed Charles' body to the side and said, "Now… If any of you disobey me… Ever… Even once… You will end up just like Charles. And keep in mind, I hate killing… But I'll do it if I need to curb the herd." Nathan began cleaning his dagger. He then looked up and said, "Well can't be having that…" He said gesturing to his red icon.

He opened his menu and scrolled down… He then selected a option and then another… His icon then changed to green. "Much better…" He said aloud.

Nathan then fully observed the group… The teenager with white hair, the brunette beauty, the large black man, and the even larger white guy with a streak of red… He then turned and said, "Sleep well… That way you can make me some money tomorrow."

**Back at the Tavern…**

"He just ran off into the woods?" Vin asked.

"Why would he do that? What if it was a trap?" Makey asked.

"I don't know the answer to either question… But look at who it is…" Kade said pointing out the window as he saw Nathan pass by it.

"Sorry Kade for running off like that. It was just really fun." Nathan said with a smile.

"It's alright. Did you catch him?" Kade asked.

"No he was too quick for me." Nathan said as he looked for a waitress so he could order a drink.

Makey then looked at Nathan's left sleeve… It was covered in blood… He then looked up confused and met Nathan's eyes. Nathan was starring at him intently as he moved his arm up under the table. Makey looked away… "I wonder what really happened." Makey thought.

Nathan then said, "Well… I'm kind of wiped out after chasing that guy. I think I'll be going to sleep."

Everyone said their goodnights to Nathan… Except for Makey. Nathan gave Makey an especially venomous glare before leaving the table and heading upstairs for his room.

After a few minutes, Makey engaged the rest of the group and said in a whisper of a tone, "I think Nathan was lying… His left sleeve. That is his main hand right?"

Kade nodded but still remained silent… So Makey continued, "The cuff of his jacket… It was covered in blood…"

Kade laughed and said, "Makey! Stop being so paranoid. Had Nathan of hurt the guy, his icon would have been yellow. And if he killed him then his icon would be red. But it was green. So we all know he didn't kill or maim the man."

Makey just shook his head and remained silent. "What was up with the glare then?" Makey thought to himself.

Sam saw this and took note… Something was still bothering Makey. But she stayed quite for the time-being.

Vin spoke up, "Well… Maybe he got caught on a branch or something?"

Makey, still skeptical, said, "Yeah… Maybe…"

"I think that is enough excitement and theories for the night. I think I'm going to turn in. I head some info that the boss of this level is about 9 or 10 miles East by North East. Goodnight." Kade said.

Kade stood up and walked upstairs, while walking down the hall… He stopped for a moment at Nathan's door for a moment. "Nathan wouldn't lie to me would he?" Kade thought.

He shook his head and laughed at himself inwardly, Nathan was his best friend. He wouldn't lie to him…


	17. Chapter 17: The Cheater

**Author Note: Hello again! And thank you for joining me in this quest following our beloved players. This chapter will once again be in... Third-person p.o.v. Duh-duh-dun! After you finish reading, why not go ahead and go to the bottom and leave a comment for me. It would be much appreciated and you would be doing me an absolutely wonderful favor. :D Well... Let's stop beating around the bush. To the next chapter!**

**Chapter Seventeen: The Cheater...**

Makey awoke the next day and stretched his limbs. He laid in bed considering Sam and Vin were still asleep, so he wasn't in a hurry to be getting up or anything. He kept thinking about last night and how Nathan seemed to have been hiding something... "_Maybe Kade and Vin was right_?" Makey thought to himself. "_Maybe I am being paranoid and his hand got caught on a branch or something..."_ Makey chuckled at himself. He had known Nathan for quite a while and he was a very reputable guy. He wouldn't kill anybody... He is just like Kade, kind and adventurous.

Nathan hadn't been able to sleep all night... The fact that Makey had noticed his sleeve was irking him. When he was going to bed, he stopped at the top of the staircase for a couple minutes in those couple minutes he opened his command board and turned his listening skill all the way up, even beyond mastery, and because of this, he heard everything that Makey said. That little bastard tried to rat on him, "Is_ it safe to keep him around? Or should I have them take care of the problem for me_?" Nathan thought to himself.

**About two months ago...**

While Nathan and Kade were fighting a floor boss alone, Kade had been knocked down to a sub-floor below by a heavy strike that Kade had managed to block. Kade yelled up to him from the suspended piece of land, "Run! Run and jump down here with me!" But Nathan was adamant to hold his own against the boss, every other time he ran to Kade's side. He opened his menu to switch fat-head to weapon mode, but something had caught his eye, a new option appeared... The option read, "Commands." In his curiosity, Nathan chose the option... As he did, time tiself seemed to freeze. The spider-like floor boss with it's four swords stopped in mid-swing. The shouts from Kade had died out and all was silent.

Seizing the opportunity, Nathan scrolled through the command board. He could increase all of his stats to a level beyond mastery... Everything even something as insignificant as his sewing skill. He was a God among ants now. He turned his damage modification all the way up. Before exiting the command prompt, he smiled to himself. "_Everything just got a whole lot easier..."_ When he exited the command prompt, the world slowly sped up to full-speed. This allowed him to dodge the incoming strike with ease. Nathan gauntlet and went straight for the boss. He slashed it across the back of the thorax with a medium amount of effort... Butm usually an attack like this would do about 150 damage considering it was at a weak spot... Which is about a quarter of a bar to most bosses... But this dealt 3000 damage. A feat that Nathan previously thought impossible. Even Kade with his spear could only deal about 400 per strike with a critical.

The floor bosses last two bars depleted almost instantly... The creature let out a scream that echoed through-out the cavern-like terrain as it exploded into thousands of pieces. Kade being down on a sub division yelled up at Nathan, "Yo! What happened?! You beat it?"

Nathan peered over the edge and came up with a story, "The light that was above us this entire time... I had fat-head attack it. It fell and killed the boss instantly.

Kade laughed and yelled back, "Good thinking! Now come on... The exit is this way!"

**The Present...**

Nathan opened his menu and scrolled through the command prompt for the thousandth time since receiving it. He could influence anything he wanted to from this screen... From changing the weather all the way down to changing the game codes to alter the landscape... He opened the "Party" option of the command prompt. Upon selecting Makey's name it had a list of options... He could make Makey an immortal object, increase his stats, decrease his stats and then he saw it... A selection that truly made him a God... "Delete?" Nathan said aloud.

Kade turned over in his bed and asked lazily while rubbing his eyes, "Delete what?"

Nathan closed his menu instantly and said, "Oh! Umm... Nothing."

Kade sat up and stretched before saying, "It is like 8 o'clock... We are leaving at around 11 or 12... Would you care to join me in the fields outside of town for my daily warm-up?"

Nathan nodded and said, "Sure..."

Sam opened her eyes, she was curled up under the blankets with a bit of drool dribbling out of the side of her mouth. She was quick to wipe it away and sit up. She then saw Makey looking back at her. Sam smiled and said, "Good morning Makey. How did you sleep?"

Makey grunted and said, "Not well at all..."

Sam scooted back against the headboard and brought her knees up to her chest, "The thing about Nathan still bothering you?"

Makey nodded, "Yeah... When he got up from the table last night. He starred at me... I could've swore he had an intent to kill me. I was afraid that if I slept heavily he would come right in and pk me. So I only slept in short bursts and gave the impression that I was asleep when half of the time, I was awake."

Sam put her chin on her knees and said, "I don't blame you. But Kade was right. If he killed someone then his icon would've been red. But it was green. Maybe he gave you that look because you had a look of suspicion?"

Makey shook his head and said, "No... The look he had was not of someone who had merely had there feelings hurt. It was the look of someone who was trying to intimidate them..."

Sam shrugged and said, "I don't know what to tell you Makey..."

**In the Fields...**

Kade tossed a Crimson Boar to the side and yelled to Nathan, "You know! Over these past few months you have really grown Nathan!"

Nathan smiled and said, "You've helped with a lot of that!" He was lying. On his way out to the fields he turned his damage modification up to 150 percent. Allowing him to reach 100 points of damage with relative ease.

Kade skewered a boar from the side, it exploded into pieces and Kade received a notification,

**"Congratulations! You have reached level 40!"**

Kade let out a shout of victory, "Yes! First to reach level 40!"

Nathan burst his bubble and said, "Nope! Sam did that the day before yesterday."

Kade cursed and said, "Damn it! That girl is always a step ahead of me one way or the other. Hey, only about... Maybe 4 or 5 more levels and I master my strength skill!"

Nathan smiled and said, "Cool... I am about to master my agility and speed... But that'll probably be another 10 or so more levels."

Nathan was speaking legitimate mastery this time around... Even with some... Miracles as Kade calls them. He still did not even suspect that Nathan had a way of cheating the system.

Kade opened his menu and said, "Well... We are supposed to be meetin gback up with everyone in about 30 minutes or so. I collected 15 pelts and 30 tusks... I wanna go sell them before we head out. This market here is low on materials so it is a pretty good chance that it's buy rate will be higher than the next."

Nathan nodded and said, "That is rather fair logic. See this is why I keep you around! You are brawn, and brain all in one."

Nathan no longer had need for col at this point. Because he could alter the amount of col he had whenever he wanted to.

**Back at the Tavern...**

Vin, Sam and Makey were waiting inside the tavern as Kade and Nathan waltzed in. Nathan caught the gaze of Makey... Their eyes locked and you could tell that both were no longer fond of one another.

"Yo! Where have you guys been?" Vin asked rather joyously.

"Oh, we were out in the fields getting in some early morning practice." Kade answered.

Kade opened his inventory and gifted the rest of the group 3 potions each, "I took the liberty of gathering all of our supplies before-hand so that we won't have to waste time with errands."

Makey, while never breaking eye contact with Nathan, said, "Thanks for the potions. Well... Since everything is set, shall we be off?"

Kade smiled and said, "Most definitely. I really want to be done with this floor. I love summer... But it is just too hot here..."

Nathan broke eye contact with Makey and headed straight for the door rather briskly, "_Yep... I need to message the group... That arrogant bastard needs to be dealt with..."_


	18. Chapter 18: Kiss a Ugly Turtle on the

**Hello! I apologize for my absence as of late. A month is a long time, I know, but holidays and what have you. So here it is, the 18th installment of my homage to the SAO fanfic community. This one will be explored through the eyes of a 3rd person pov. Please be lenient in your whims and remember, stay sharp! If you so feel the need, leave a comment at the bottom for me of what you would like me to focus/improve on. Always a bonus to get in touch with someone that is a frequenter to this site. Anyways, enough talk. Action speaks louder than words. ;)**

**Chapter Eighteen: Kiss a Ugly Turtle on the Mouth...**

****Samantha stopped at the top of a hill, looking at the ravine set before the group, she said to the rest, "Here we are... This is the path to the floor boss."

Vin replied, "Yep. So, do we have a game-plan?"

Makey rung in, "Don't die... That sounds like a good plan to me."

Nathan on the other hand was pre-occupied at the moment, he was sending a message to the rest of the Laughing Coffin. "Head to the location attached to this message and meet me there... I will instruct you further."

Kade started walking forward while saying, "Well then... Let's get started."

****Nathan waved them on and said, "I forgot to get some wet-stones for everyone's weapons. Go ahead without me, I will teleport to the town and then teleport back here in a few minutes, when I send you guys a message, send me back your location."

Sam smiled and said, "Alright. That is if we aren't already finished with the dungeon before then!"

Nathan smiled back, "_Whatever... This is going to be the hardest dungeon yet... And who knows, someone may die if you rush things..." _he thought to himself.

**Short time-skip...**

****"And that's the plan..." Nathan finished.

His followers nodded back to him, "Good... Now to your posts... And make haste. Otherwise, we will have a very big problem..."

The group was quick to dispatch, none of them wanted to anger their limitless leader.

**"Hey guys, I'm back. Where you be?" **Nathan sent the message.

Vin sent back a reply, "Go inside... When you see a door, take a left, then walk... Take another left and continue walking... If you are heading the right direction you will see a torch to your right. We placed that there as a marker. Keep going down the cavern until you see a small split in the wall. We are through that split... We found a treasure room and are waiting for you to get here before opening it."

Nathan nodded and said, "Good... All is going according to plan..."

**Short time-skip...**

****"So did I miss anything?" Nathan said as he went through the crack. Nathan continued, "I thought you said that it was small?"

Vin smiled and said, "I was just writing the directions that Kade told me to."

Nathan laughed, "Ah! So it was small for him!"

Kade shouted, "Shut up Nathan! You think you're funny, but you're not!"

The group then all laughed.

Sam said, "We'll... Vin was the one that noticed the room inside the crack so I guess he should open it."

Nathan shook his head and looked at Makey with a seemingly evil grin, "But Vin got the last one. I think it is Makey's turn..."

Makey thought to himself, "_It's a trap... He is trying to set me up... What will happen though?" _Makey then spoke aloud, "Nah. It is rightfully Vin's. I'll catch the next one."

Vin shrugged and said, "Oh well... Loot for me then!"

Vin walked up to the chest, Makey placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and Nathan just continued smiling at Makey... Kade however was off to the side poking Sam in the ribs for laughing at him, Sam just continued to laugh and attempted to move away from the pokes.

The tension could be cut with a spoon now, the air hung still, and not a sound could be heard as Vin knelt down to the chest. Vin placed his hand on the chest and the chest broke away... Revealing... A Healing Crystal?

"Damn it!" Vin yelled. "Another stupid dummy-chest to get my hopes up.

Nathan turned his eyes away from Makey for just a moment, "Bad luck Vin... If I find any you can have them... For a price of course."

Makey released his grip on his sword and breathed out a sigh of relief, "_I guess it is all in my head... Or is it?"_

__Kade stood up as Sam punched him in the shoulder for poking her and making her laugh, he said, "Sorry about that Vin. Let's get going though. This dungeon isn't going to explore itself."

**4 hours later...**

Sam sighed, "This must be the largest dungeon ever made... This is stupid."

Vin said, "Well... We've gotten a lot of experience and we got quite a bit of loot. So it isn't a wasted trip or anything... We could stop here, place a marker and then return here tomorrow after we get some sleep."

Kade shook his head and said, "Nah... I think we should continue. That way we can be the first ones to rest on the next floor..."

Vin waved his hands and said, "You always say that! You can only say that so many times before it loses it's mysticism! Now it just doesn't sound as cool as it used to."

Kade scratched the back of his head, "Why fix what isn't broke?"

Makey had long since abandoned his theory of Nathan being up to something. Nathan had many chances to kill him, they even broke away from the group because besides they were two of the smallest characters so they could get to places the others couldn't besides Sam.

But that was not the case, Nathan had developed an intricate plan to do away with his target, much like a calculating killer that had already taken everything into account... Every step they had taken had been accounted for, Makey's loss of suspicion, the chest that contained the health crystal, every part of it, planned.

Nathan thought to himself, "_No... We have to continue... It is just up ahead..."_

Nathan threw is opinion into the mix, "I vote we continue. 4 hours of exploring is behind us, how much longer before we find the boss? It can't be too much further ahead, right? Besides, in this case, majority rules. And majority says that we truck on."

Sam sighed and said, "But my feet hurt."

Makey smiled and replied, "But that means that Kade, Nathan and I will owe you a foot rub! But Nathan and I will refuse to do it. So Kade will have to do it!"

Makey caught a darted glare from Kade before he started to laugh.

Sam blushed and said rather sheepishly, "That... That isn't funny Makey."

Makey just laughed harder.

Sam's attitude did a 360 and hit Makey over the head with the flat of her sword and said, "Shut up Makey! You aren't very funny!"

Makey rubbed his head rapidly as a bump began to rise and said, "Owwowowwowow... What was that for?! It was a joke?! Besides, you liked the idea, otherwise you wouldn't have blushed!"

Sam hit him over the head again.

Makey then fell over off the rock he was sitting atop.

Nathan thought, "_Damn it... This needs to hurry up."_

After a few moments of everyone laughing at Makey, Kade said, "Alright let's get going everyone. The floor boss is probably just ahead."

Nathan spoke up, "Let's get Makey as far away from Sam as possible! Have Makey take point and Sam follow-up!"

Makey was more than delighted, he said, "Yes, let Makey take point! And keep that devil-lady away from me!"

Makey pushed past everyone and took the lead, but as soon as he took a step past Kade... The ground began to shift and move over everyone. The group yelled... All except for Nathan... And as Makey's second step past Kade began to fall, the ground opened up below him. And as if in slow-motion... Makey began to fall into the dark abyss below.

**Did Nathan's plan succeed? Is our beloved Makey destined to be silenced by the cheater? Find out in Chapter 19: ... And Make Him Cry.**

**Unpaid Advertisement :D - Do you like the characters portrayed in this fanfic? Well, why not become a part of their world by joining an RP that has them within it. No purchase necessary. ;P**


	19. Chapter 19: And Make Him Cry

**Author's Note: Hello again. I finally have decided to publish this next chapter, I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far... And you know... I am always looking for new OC's to make appearance. :D Also, I would love to hear some feedback on who your favorite characters are. This chapter is once again, in 3rd person. And on that note, we shall proceed, forward unto Chapter 19!**

**Chapter Nineteen: ... And Make Him Cry**

Makey felt the ground run from underneath his feet, as his eyes turned downward, all that he could see was black... Nothing but black. In this moment, this exact second of realization he felt weightless... As if he were merely floating in mid-air. And then as if in slow-motion he began to feel the sensation of falling.

Almost as if he got slammed into by a truck, a large force hit him in the back sending him flying forward, his upper thighs hit the other side of the hole and he clung on for his life... As he clutched onto the side, he heard people begin to yell...

Vin and Sam both yelled, "NNNNOOOOOO!"

And then I heard Nathan, a sound of surprise in his voice, "WHAT?!"

Makey hoisted himself up and turned to lay there, gasping for air after that surprise and the very close call... Nathan stood there, looking very angry, the same venomous look in his eyes as the night before, but this time, it also had a tint of rage behind them. Vin began running to the edge to look down the hole and Sam just stood there, a look of disbelief on her face.

Makey smiled and began to speak, until realization washed over him... Kade was no-where in sight...

Vin yelled down the hole, "Kade?! KADE?!"

After a moment of silence, there was no answer...  
Sam felt to the ground crying, Vin wiped away a few tears, and Nathan stood there, the look on his face growing ever angrier...

Kade had thrown himself into the hole and hit Makey in the back, sending him flying forward and to the other side... But this left him to fall, to his death.

Makey was in disbelief... He never thought that anyone would throw their lives away for him... Makey himself began to tear up, wiping it away with his chain-mail sleeve he stood up, Nathan's eyes were peering straight through him. His globes alit with fury...

Nathan erupted, "WHAT THE FUCK?! THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE YOU FALLING DOWN! NOT KADE!"  
Everyone's eyes widened, turning to Nathan...

Nathan merely coninued, ignoring the questioning eyes, "YOU ALWAYS GO AND SCREW EVERYTHING UP! FIRST, YOU HAD TO NOTICE THE BLOOD AND SAY SOMETHING ABOUT IT! YOU CANNOT EVEN DIE RIGHT!"  
Sam choked on her tears and said, "Nathan what do you-"

Nathan cut her off, "I was trying to keep it a secret! I was trying to kill Makey, that way, us four could live on without any problem. Everything would've been perfect! But now, my best friend is dead and it is because of you!"

Makey was at a loss of words... He was right, Nathan had found a way to kill without his cursor changing...

Vin turned to Nathan, stuttering over his words, "W-why Nathan?"

Nathan looked at him the fury in his eyes disappating as he realized what he had to do now... Nathan smiled and said, "Why? Because I love this place... This place is my new home. Outside of this place, I have no friends, but in here, you guys were my friends, Kade was my friend... I've been staying with you guys because of that... But now, now it is time to find new friends... Yes, new friends... Friends that won't question who I am!"

Sam moved away from Nathan, Makey stood up and Vin said, "Nathan... What are you saying?"  
Nathan smiled again and said, "Well... What I said is exactly what I mean. I can find new friends without a problem. However, to keep this little secret hidden. I am going to have to do something with you three..."

Sam stood up and turned to run back the way the came, Vin drew his weapons and Makey leaped across the gap, as he did, he drew his sword as well.

Nathan laughed, "You think you can kill me?! I am the alpha! ANd the Omega!"

Nathan opened his menu and selected Sam's, Vin's and Makey's names, he then simultaneously reduced their speed to 1.

Sam slow down, almost to an abrupt hault, Makey moved to attack but in the time span of a second, he had only moved a few inches forward, as did Vin.

Nathan laughed and chose another selection that said, "Place object..." He then entered the co-ordinates for where to send them...

**This marks the end of Chapter Nineteen. Sorry for the length, but I felt it would be best to break it apart as I am doing.**


End file.
